DC batted first and posted 188/5 in 20 overs.
Riyan Parag became the latest victim of the umpire's gauge test for bats, which the BCCI just implemented during the ongoing IPL 2025. Parag replaced an injured Sanju Samson in Rajasthan's pursuit of 189 against the Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Samson injured himself while taking an ugly swipe at Mohit Sharma on the penultimate ball of the fifth over. He attempted to play through the pain, even having the physio examine it while the game was interrupted, before retiring hurt.
Parag replaced the wounded Samson, but was halted by the on-field umpire before he could strike since his bat had passed the gauge test. But it failed. Parag was seen animatedly speaking with the match official. Fortunately, the gauge managed to slip past the sweet spot and Parag was allowed to use the same willow.
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In an effort to achieve a balance between batting and bowling in T20 cricket, the BCCI implemented a rule requiring every bat to go through a gauge before the batter takes guard. The fourth umpire will inspect the openers' bats before they take the field, but the two on-field umpires will check the bats of all subsequent batters.
Earlier, DC was asked to bat after RR captain Sanju Samson won the toss. Abishek Porel’s 49 and other contributions from KL Rahul (38), Tristan Stubbs (34*) and Axar Patel (34) took DC to 188/5 in 20 overs. For RR, Jofra Archer took 2/32.