Guwahati, April 8 Left-arm fast-bowler Trent Boult and leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal picked three wickets each as Rajasthan Royals defeated Delhi Capitals by 57 runs in match No 11 of IPL 2023 at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, here on Saturday to become the new table-toppers in the points table.
After openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler smashed half-centuries while Shimron Hetmyer provided the finishing touches to propel Rajasthan to 199/4, Boult and Chahal starred in a disciplined bowling show, picking 3/29 and 3/27 to restrict Delhi to 142/9 in 20 overs, with captain David Warner's 65 the lone bright spot in a dull batting show.
Boult gave Rajasthan a cracking start by taking out impact player Prithvi Shaw and Manish Pandey on successive deliveries. While Shaw was caught behind as Sanju Samson flung himself in front of first slip to snap one with his right mitts, Pandey was trapped lbw by a fuller delivery angled in. The batter went for a review, but went in vain as replays showed the ball crashing into leg-stump.
Warner hammered four boundaries off pacers and Ravichandran Ashwin, with Rilee Rossouw getting a brace of fours through the off-side against the fast bowlers. Delhi had another jolt in the power-play when Rilee Rossouw reverse swept and found the fielder at cover off Ashwin.
Warner and Lalit Yadav tried to steady the ship for Delhi, with the latter being the more aggressive of the two with reverse-sweeps off Chahal while slicing, pulling and lofting off the fast bowlers. The 64-run stand came to an end when Yadav missed a hoick and was castled by Boult in the 13th over.
Axar Patel, promoted to counter the spin challenge from Chahal, was easily stumped from behind off the leg-spinner. Though Warner got his fifty in 44 balls, Delhi continued to fall as Rovman Powell holed out to deep mid-wicket off Ashwin.
Warner was caught at cover off Murugan Ashwin in the 17th over, but was called a no-ball as Jaiswal was standing two inches outside the 30-yard circle in a fielding restriction violation. Chahal then took out Warner and Abishek Porel in a span of five balls in the 19th over as Rajasthan signed off from the Guwahati leg of home games on a high.
Brief Scores: Rajasthan Royals 199/4 in 20 overs (Jos Buttler 79, Yashasvi Jaiswal 60; Mukesh Kumar 2/36, Rovman Powell 1/18) beat Delhi Capitals 142/9 in 20 overs (David Warner 65, Lalit Yadav 38; Yuzvendra Chahal 3/27, Trent Boult 3/29) by 57 runs.
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