IPL 2021: Delhi Capitals edge SunRisers Hyderabad in first super over of edition

Delhi Capitals (DC) won a thrilling encounter against the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Match 20 of the 2021 edition of Indian Premier League (IPL). A match that seemed to be all but over was stretched beyond what was supposed to be the end, by a relatively unknown SRH cricketer. Jagadeesha Suchith’s unbeaten 14 off six deliveries ensured that the match against DC went on to emerge as this year’s IPL’s first super over. The game went to the final ball of the super over and both teams had to give it their all to see the game out. 

SRH were first to bat in the super over as David Warner and Kane Williamson walked out to bat, while Rishabh Pant entrusted the ball to Axar Patel. The spinner did a marvellous job of restricting the SunRisers to just 7 runs.  In reply, the Capitals had skipper Rishabh Pant and Shikhar Dhawan step onto the crease to face the dangerous Rashid Khan. The two, however, managed to chase down the target, but it was not an easy task. 

The Capitals scored 159 runs in their 20 overs, primarily owing to a brilliant inning by opener Prithvi Shaw who scored a half-century. The DC bowlers did a good job of preventing the Orange Army from accelerating at any point in their innings. The win ensures that DC moved up to second place in the points table behind the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

Kane Williamson Makes His Presence Felt 

The pick of the SRH batters was New Zealand’s Kane Williamson, who played a well-paced inning of 66 off 51 deliveries. He was well supported by Englishman Jonny Bairstow at the beginning of the innings, who scored 38 off 18 deliveries. However, the man of the moment right at the end of the innings was Suchith, who played an explosive knock of 14 runs off 6 deliveries, which included two fours and one maximum. No one, apart from Bairstow, Suchith and Williamson got into double figures, and that is yet another proof of DC’s lethal bowling attack, even without Anrich Nortje. 

Axar Patel, who played his first game of this IPL season, put in a masterful shift as he picked up two wickets in his four overs, while conceding only 26 runs. Veteran Amit Mishra also picked a wicket and conceded 31. Young pacer Avesh Khan was impressive once again with three wickets for 34 runs in his four overs. 

The Capitals were off to a flying start in the first innings as openers Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan played built a strong stand for the first wicket. Dhawan, who is also the Orange Cap holder, scored 28 runs off 26 deliveries while Shaw played a magnificent knock, scoring 53 runs off 39 deliveries. The innings comprised seven fours and one maximum. However, the run rate dropped when both set batters were dismissed. However, captain Rishabh Pant and Steve Smith, after taking some time to get settled, got the scoreboard ticking again. Pant scored 37 off 27 deliveries while the Aussie made 34 of 25. 

The SRH bowlers had a relatively tough time on the pitch, with Siddharth Kaul and Rashid Khan the only ones who managed to pick wickets. Kaul picked up two wickets in his four overs while conceding 31 runs. Rashid picked one wicket and conceded 31. Suchith was the most economical as he conceded only 21 runs in his four overs. No other SRH bowler had an impressive outing.