Mitchell Starc Shines with Maiden T20 Fifer as Delhi Capitals Crush Sunrisers Hyderabad
Mumbai: Mitchell Starc’s Indian Premier League (IPL) resurgence continues as the Australian pacer delivered a stunning performance for Delhi Capitals (DC), securing his maiden T20 five-wicket haul in a commanding seven-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
Returning to the IPL last season after an eight-year hiatus with Kolkata Knight Riders, Starc is now making a strong impact with DC. His fiery spell dismantled the SRH batting lineup and set the stage for an emphatic win.
Early Breakthroughs Rock SRH
Opting to bat first under the scorching Vizag sun, SRH captain Pat Cummins saw his openers walk in cautiously, wary of Starc’s ability to swing the new ball. Their concerns proved justified as Abhishek Sharma was dismissed in the very first over, courtesy of a sharp throw from Vipraj Nigam.
Ishan Kishan followed soon after, miscuing an attempted offside clearance straight into the hands of Tristan Stubbs at deep backward point. Starc then struck again two balls later, deceiving local boy Nitish Kumar with a slower off-cutter that found Axar Patel at mid-on.
Travis Head, who has historically struggled against Starc, became his victim for the sixth time in eight innings. A delivery brushed Head’s gloves and carried to wicketkeeper Rahul, further sinking SRH’s hopes.
Aniket Verma Leads SRH Fightback
Amidst the early collapse, Aniket Verma and Heinrich Klaasen provided some resistance. Playing only his second IPL game, Aniket showcased confident stroke play, helping SRH recover with a flurry of boundaries and sixes. He took on Axar Patel in particular, smashing a boundary and four sixes, including one straight down the ground.
Aniket reached his half-century in just 34 balls, keeping SRH’s innings alive. However, his counter-attack was halted by an acrobatic effort from Jake Fraser-McGurk at deep midwicket, restricting SRH to a moderate total of 163.
Faf du Plessis Seals Victory for DC
Chasing 164, DC opener Faf du Plessis turned the predominantly orange crowd into a sea of blue, smashing a blistering 26-ball half-century to put his team in command.
Despite a spirited effort from debutant Zeeshan Ansari, who replaced Simarjeet Singh in the SRH lineup and claimed three wickets, DC cruised to victory. Ansari’s strikes only delayed the inevitable, as the Capitals wrapped up their short stint in Vizag with two wins in two matches, solidifying their position in the tournament.
With Starc’s fiery spell and a dominant batting display, DC’s IPL campaign looks increasingly promising as they move forward in the season.
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