IPL 2021: DC vs SRH Review – Delhi go at the top of the table against hapless Sunrisers

Delhi Capitals started their second leg of the IPL 2021 with a win against Sunrisers Hyderabad. With this win, Delhi’s chances of making it to the playoffs have almost been confirmed while Hyderabad’s hopes are almost done and dusted. Delhi won the league game at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium by eight wickets with 13 balls to spare.

Hyderabad won the toss and elected to bat first. David Warner’s horrid time in this year’s IPL continued as he was dismissed for a duck. Hyderabad’s innings didn’t get off to a great start, nor did it have great middle order batsmanship and neither a good finish. Abdul Samad got 28, which was the highest while others kept getting in and getting out. Rashid Khan’s 22 helped Sunrirsers to get 134 for 9.

For Delhi, Anrich Nortje and Axar Patel picked up two wickets while Kagiso Rabada picked up three scalps. Chasing 135, Delhi lost Prithvi Shaw for just 11. Shreyas Iyer, who was coming back into the team after an injury, then formed a partnership with Shikhar Dhawan of 52 runs. Dhawan was finally dismissed for 42 runs, which helped him get back the orange cap.

After that Iyer got in another match-winning stand with his skipper, Rishabh Pant. Iyer sealed the deal with a boundary which took him to 47 runs. Pant stayed unbeaten on 35 runs on the other end. Their stand helped Delhi finish the target soon. For Hyderabad, Rashid Khan picked one wicket and so did Khaleel Ahmed.

Top performers:

Anrich Nortje: The South African pacer put up a display of serious fast-bowling notching up high speeds, at times over 150 kmph. He removed Warner early in the innings and kept the pressure on the Hyderabad team. He later came to get the wicket of Kedar Jadhav. Nortje’s spell was economical as well as he conceded only 12 runs in his four overs.

Shreyas Iyer: The top order batter was the only piece which was missing this season in Delhi’s jigsaw puzzle. His return was supposed to make them look stronger and he made an instant impact with his knock. He gave himself time in the early stages of the innings and later made sure he was there to see off the chase. A brilliant comeback from injury for a champion player.

Personal achievements/records:

• Shreyas Iyer completed 4000 runs in T20 cricket.
• Wriddhiman Saha completed 2000 runs in IPL in 102 innings.

Way ahead:

Delhi’s next game is against Rajasthan Royals on September 25 while Hyderabad will now face Punjab Kings on September 25.