Abhishek's unbeaten 135 took the game away from DC.
Invited to bat, SRH racked up a mammoth 242/2 on the board, thanks to Abhishek Sharma’s blazing century (135* off 68). Heinrich Klaasen (37* off 13), Ishan Kishan (25 off 23) and Travis Head (37 off 26) also made handy contributions.
In reply, Nitish Rana (57), Sameer Rizvi (41) and KL Rahul (37) provided resistance, but the Capitals suffered a middle-order collapse. Eshan Malinga was the pick of the bowlers with 4/32, while Harsh Dubey finished with three scalps in the final over, ensuring DC was kept to 195/9.
After the loss, DC skipper Axar Patel rued fielding lapses against Abhishek, admitting that these failures allowed SRH to post a massive total.
“The run-out and the catch we missed - had we taken it, we could have restricted them. But yes, if someone bats that well, and their execution is not lacking, credit must be given for such a performance. Considering the way Klaasen also batted from the other side, it’s not the bowler’s fault. When a batsman bats like this, the coach and the captain must accept that even a captain cannot stop someone,” Axar said in the post-match interview.
He stressed that while bowler execution can be challenged by elite batting, better fielding was within the team's control.
“I was telling the bowlers the same thing, that if you executed well, and after that he still hit a good shot, then you cannot do anything. You know, you have to move on. The fielding area is in your hands. Catching and run-outs - those you can do. And you know, at such times, supporting the bowler is very important. So I think that is where we could have done better,” he added.
Despite the brutal assault, Axar threw his weight behind the bowlers. The DC captain indicated he is not planning immediate team changes, categorizing the performance as an "off day".
“(On possible changes going further) No, right now it doesn’t feel like that, because the kind of cricket that is going on - if you see, obviously we are batting well and bowling well. It feels like, I think you know, when the wicket is so good, then this should be considered an off day and forgotten,” he concluded.