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In the Super Over, Rajasthan Royals were batting first and decided to go with left-handers against the Delhi Capitals pacer Mitchell Starc.
Mitchell Starc played a match-winning role in DC’s thrilling win against RR (Picture credit: AP)
Ace Australia and Delhi Capitals pacer Mitchell Starc on Wednesday expressed his surprise over the Rajasthan Royals’ choice of batters for the Super Over, given that he was able to bring the ball back in to the southpaws, as he clinched the Player of the Match award in a thrilling encounter in Delhi.
During the run chase, Starc was crucial for Delhi, and when Rajasthan required 31 off 18 deliveries, he conceded just eight runs in the 18th over and got 50-up Nitish Rana, with a brilliant yorker.
Speaking after the game, Starc was asked about Rajasthan’s decision to go with two southpaws in the Super Over.
“It was a bit of a surprise to see left-handers come in with my angle as the ball was tailing back in. Got one wrong there with the side line no-ball, but we had the batting depth then to chase that down,” Starc said while speaking at the post-match presentation.
The ice-cold Starc (1/36 in 4 overs) held his nerve during a tense final over to defend nine runs as Delhi forced the match into a Super Over when it seemed Rajasthan had all but won it.
Starc then bowled a tremendous Super Over, conceding just two fours. He was backed by two razor-sharp run-outs as Rajasthan managed just 11 runs.
KL Rahul and Tristan Stubbs then kept their nerves in check, slamming a boundary and a six respectively to take the hosts to their first victory at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Chasing 189, Yashasvi Jaiswal (51 off 37) and ‘local lad’ Nitish Rana (51 off 28) had Rajasthan cruising, but Delhi’s bowlers turned the tide with a roaring late surge, tying the match at 188/4.
The late drama followed a solid batting effort by Delhi, built on Abishek Porel’s composed 49 and explosive cameos from captain Axar Patel (34 off 14) and Stubbs (34 not out off 18), lifting them to a competitive 188/5 after being asked to bat.
Desperate for a victory to reignite their campaign, Jaiswal came out all guns blazing as he clobbered two sixes off Mukesh Kumar before dismantling Starc with two fours and a towering maximum.
DC play their next match against the Gujarat Titans on Saturday, April 19, in Ahmedabad.
