DC kept their slim playoff hopes alive by beating RR at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Opting to bowl first, DC restricted RR to 193/8, largely thanks to a brilliant 4-wicket haul from left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc, who was well supported by two wickets each from Lungi Ngidi and Madhav Tiwari.
Chasing a target of 194, the Capitals successfully achieved the goal in 19.2 overs. Openers KL Rahul (56 off 42) and Abishek Porel (51 off 31) built a strong foundation with a 105-run partnership. Despite a few middle-order wobbles, Axar Patel (34* off 18 balls) and Ashutosh Sharma (18* off 5 balls) calmly steered the team home.
Speaking during the post-match presentation, captain Axar highlighted the joy of winning their final home game, especially after enduring a tough string of losses at home earlier in the season.
“Winning at home always feels great, and after losing continuously for so long, when you finally win, it feels even more special. And since this was the last home match of the season, I think it’s very special. It makes you happy when you win at home because the fans come to support you, and winning after that support brings a lot of joy,” Axar said.
When asked about tactical improvements for this game, Axar pointed out that earlier in the season, the team struggled because wickets were falling in quick "clusters".
“I think one thing improved. Even when we were losing, I kept saying that wickets were falling in clusters. That was the issue. Today, if you look at it, when you get a long opening partnership, the batsmen coming later can finish the game well. So I think what was happening in those matches we lost was that wickets were falling in clusters. Today it looked better because whenever a wicket fell, there was another partnership afterward, and we were able to finish the game,” he added.
Axar Patel praised the bowling unit for staging a strong comeback. Despite leaking runs in the powerplay, the team regrouped during the strategic timeout and executed revised plans perfectly in the final overs.
“Throughout the season, in many matches, we’ve made strong comebacks. Even when runs were scored in the powerplay, once the field spread out, we bowled really well in the middle overs and came back into the game. So even when runs are scored in the first six overs, during the strategic timeout we always talk about how the game is just starting and we can come back anytime.
“Then those three wickets in one over happened, and after that, I think the last six overs after the 14th over were bowled with great class. And obviously, the youngster changed the momentum. So yes, I’m very happy with the bowling unit too, because they never gave up. Even though runs were being scored, they came back and corrected their plans,” he stated.
Addressing his on-field chats with Starc, Axar clarified they were actively plotting dismissals and setting fields for incoming batters rather than him just congratulating the bowler.
“(on his chats to Starc) No, at that time we were mainly discussing what field we could set for the new batsman coming in. Of course I was congratulating him, but after that I was talking to him about what would be difficult for the new batsman there, what he was thinking, and what kind of ball he planned to bowl, so that we could set the field accordingly. That’s what we were discussing,” he remarked.
When the presenter suggested that he should stand closer to Starc to make chatting easier, Axar noted that running away actually worked in their favor, as a key catch landed right where he had moved
“(Next time be close to Starc so that it's easier to talk) No, I think it actually helped. I went far away and the catch came there, so I think it was good that I went there at that moment. So yes, very happy,” he concluded.