Kuldeep picked 2/25 in DC's win, while Ashwin took 3/24 for RR.
DC had batted first after RR captain Sanju Samson won the toss. They posted 221/8 thanks to half-centuries from openers Jake Fraser-McGurk and Abishek Porel and some brilliant finishing touches by Tristan Stubbs (41 in 19 balls).
In response, Sanju Samson 86 was leading RR to an exciting win over DC, but his controversial dismissal proved to be the death knell for his team’s chances as they finished with 201/8 and lost by 20 runs.
Kuldeep Yadav took 2/25 for DC and was named Player of the Match. However, after the encounter, Kuldeep was all praises for the veteran spinner R Ashwin, who had taken 3/24 for RR. His scalps included Jake Fraser-McGurk (50 off 20), Abhishek Porel (65 off 36), and Axar Patel (15 off 10).
“I learn a lot from him I talk a lot with him. He bowled well today as well and took three crucial wickets. It’s like a competition as well that he’s the main spinner of the opposition team and we also have top spinners in our team. So I always look to dominate,” Kuldeep said in a video on the IPL website.
Kuldeep is the second-highest wicket-taker of the season so far for Delhi with 14 wickets from nine innings at an average of 20.50 and an economy of 8.20.
“I always think about what the bowler must be expecting and what’s the field that he has set. Obviously, the fine leg was up and the square leg and deep square leg were there. I thought he could bowl a short ball or a slower one. That’s why I tried the lap shot and luckily it connected well and got a boundary. On the very next delivery, I tried to play a reverse scoop but it didn’t connect well if that connected well that would’ve been a boundary too,” he added.
Thanks to this win, DC have kept their playoff qualification hopes alive as they now find themselves in the fifth spot on the points table with six wins from 12 matches having 12 points to their name.