Lights. Chaos. Capitals.
Delhi witnessed a thriller for the ages as the Capitals edged past Rajasthan Royals in a nail-biting first Super Over of the Indian Premier League 2025 season at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday. (Match Blog | Points Table | More Cricket News)
Tristan Stubbs finished it in style with a six, KL Rahul stayed cool, and the Delhi Capitals roared back to the top of the table with five wins from six matches.
Put in to bat first, Delhi Capitals -- the most consistent team of the season so far -- got off to a rocky start. Jofra Archer struck early, dismissing Jake Fraser-McGurk for just 9 off 6, caught by Yashasvi Jaiswal in the second over. Things went from bad to worse when Karun Nair who came fresh off an 89 runs scored in the previous game, was run out for a duck.
But then came some much-needed stability. Abishek Porel and KL Rahul stitched together a 51-run stand for the third wicket, guiding DC to 85/2 by the 11th over. Just when things looked steady, Archer returned to remove the big fish -- KL Rahul -- for 38 off 32.
Nevertheless, Porel kept the scoreboard ticking with a gritty 49 off 36 before falling to Hasaranga, caught by Riyan Parag.
Captain Axar Patel played a solid cameo, smashing 34 off just 14 balls, while Tristan Stubbs held things together at the other end.
Despite wickets falling regularly, Stubbs chipped in with 34 (18) and Ashutosh Sharma added 15 (11), as DC pushed to a fighting total of 188/5 -- slightly below par given the 200+ trend this season. But, they hammered 77 runs in the last five overs to give themselves a chance.
Chasing 189, Rajasthan Royals were off to a dream start. Yashasvi Jaiswal and skipper Sanju Samson looked in full control, putting on 50 runs in just five overs.
But then came the twist--Samson felt something in his ribs and had to walk off the field after playing just one ball in the sixth over. That sudden shift in momentum opened the door for Delhi.
Riyan Parag stepped in but found it tough to get going on a pitch that had started to slow down. He fell to Axar for 8 off 11, leaving Jaiswal to carry the load. And he did it well.
Jaiswal went on to make a superb fifty. With Nitish Rana for company, the two kept Royals well on course, until Kuldeep Yadav struck with a crucial breakthrough, sending Jaiswal back with a mistimed shot to long-on for 51 off 37 balls.
At 158/2 after 17 overs, RR were still ahead. Rana brought up a brisk fifty (51 off 28) but his dismissal came at the worst possible time. Enter Hetmyer and Dhruv Jurel--two players known to bring the fireworks. The equation kept narrowing down, and with one needed off the final ball, it seemed all but over. But then--madness.
Axar Patel charged in from the deep and fired a rocket throw to Rahul after Jurel pushed for a second. it was a run-out with Royals just at 188/4. Match tied igniting the first Super Over of the season.
In the one-over shootout, RR sent in Hetmyer and Parag. Starc bringing his vintage form took the ball for DC. And there came two chaotic run-outs--including a dramatic one that saw Jaiswal falling short--meant they only managed 12 off five balls.
Delhi responded calmly sending KL Rahul and Stubbs at the crease, calm under pressure. A couple to start, then a boundary came from Rahul. And finally, Stubbs finished it with style, with two balls to spare with a six. DC took the points and their winning ways back.
However, Rajasthan Royals suffered their fifth loss of the season having played seven matches, placing them 8th on the table.
Up next, DC will take on Gujarat Titans on April 19 while RR will face Lucknow Super Giants on the same day in the IPL doubleheader.
