Team Delhi thumped Rajasthan by five wickets in the 53rd match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019 which marked the first clash of the double-header on Saturday.
The defeat resulted in Rajasthan being knocked out of the race for the fourth position on the points table, which could have earned the franchise a spot in the playoffs.
Rajasthan skipper Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and opted to bat in the clash which took place at the Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi.
The visitors, however, failed to capitalise on the decision following an excellent performance by the Delhi bowling attack.
Ishant Sharma and Amit Mishra were the key wicket-takers with three wickets apiece as Trent Boult accounted for two wickets.
A fighting half-century from emerging youngster Riyan Parag helped the visitors post a total of 115 runs for the loss of nine wickets in 20 overs.
Delhi openers Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw registered an aggressive start to the chase with 28 runs scored in the first three overs.
However, New Zealand pacer Ish Sodhi struck in his maiden over, accounting for the openers off his first two deliveries bringing Rajasthan back into the game.
Indian wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant made his presence felt at this stage, with an unbeaten half-century off 38 deliveries as Delhi chased down the target in 16.1 overs.
Bangalore emerged victorious by a margin of four wickets against Hyderabad in the second clash of the day after being handed a target of 176 runs.
Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli won the toss and opted to field.
The visitors posted a total of 175 runs on the back of a 43-ball 70 by skipper Kane Williamson, with the rest of the batsmen failing to make their presence felt in a vital clash.
The Bangalore innings got off to a poor start with key batsmen Parthiv Patel, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers dismissed cheaply.
However, Windies cricketer Shimron Hetmyer and Indian batsman Gurkeerat Singh Mann stitched a partnership of 144 runs for the third wicket to help the home franchise make a comeback in the clash.
Hyderabad could not prevent a defeat despite the dismissal of the duo, as Umesh Yadav smashed consecutive boundaries off the first two deliveries of the final over, to score the winning runs.
The second doubleheader on Sunday is set to witness a do-or-die contest for Kolkata who take on Mumbai at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai in the 8 pm clash. The first clash of the day will be battled out between table-toppers Chennai and Punjab at Mohali.
Let us take a look at how the eight teams are placed in the standings ahead of the clash:
| Team | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | NR | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chennai | 13 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 18 | +0.209 |
| Delhi | 14 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 18 | +0.044 |
| Mumbai | 13 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 16 | +0.321 |
| Hyderabad | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 12 | +0.577 |
| Kolkata | 13 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 12 | +0.173 |
| Rajasthan | 14 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 11 | -0.449 |
| Bangalore | 14 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 11 | -0.607 |
| Punjab | 13 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 10 | -0.351 |
Orange Cap:
Opener David Warner who is currently on international duty with Australia having represented Hyderabad in IPL 2019, leads the run-scoring chart with 692 runs in twelve innings.
Punjab opener KL Rahul and Kolkata all-rounder Andre Russell are placed on the second and third spot with 522 and 510 respectively.
Delhi opener Shikhar Dhawan who scored 16 runs off 12 deliveries in an innings comprising of two boundaries against Rajasthan on Saturday, is placed on the fourth spot.
Dhawan has accumulated 486 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 137.28 and average of 37.38.
Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli who was dismissed for 16 runs off 7 deliveries against Rajasthan on Sunday rounds off the top-five list with 464 runs in 14 innings.
Kohli has scored 464 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 141.46 and average of 33.14.
Purple Cap:
South African fast-bowler Kagiso Rabada who represented Delhi in IPL 2019 before being ruled out due to a back injury leads the race for the purple cap.
Rabada who has picked 25 wickets in 12 matches, is trailed by Chennai spinner Imran Tahir who has registered 21 wickets in 13 matches.
Rajasthan spinner Shreyas Gopal who accounted for the dismissals of Shreyas Iyer and Sherfane Rutherford on Saturday is placed on the third spot.
Gopal has picked 20 wickets in 14 matches at an average of 17.35 and economy rate of 7.22.
Bangalore spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and Punjab pacer Mohammed Shami are placed on the fourth and fifth spot with 18 and 17 wickets respectively.
