Australia’s Mitchell Starc returned figures of 4-40 as Delhi Capitals kept their playoff hopes alive in the IPL with a five-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals on Sunday.
Left-arm quick Starc took three wickets in four balls, including skipper Riyan Parag for 51, to restrict Rajasthan to 193-8 at Delhi’s home Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Fifteen-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, with his 21-ball 46, and wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel, who top-scored with 53, contributed to Rajasthan’s total.
Openers KL Rahul, who made 56, and Abishek Porel (51) then put on a stand of 105 to lay the foundation for the chase as Delhi won with four balls to spare for their sixth win in 13 matches.
Delhi wobbled in their chase after Jofra Archer and Brijesh Sharma took two wickets each to keep Rajasthan in the hunt before skipper Axar Patel, who made 34, and impact sub Ashutosh Sharma, who hit 18 including the winning six, steered the team home.
Rajasthan slipped from fifth to sixth as their playoff hopes took a hit with their sixth defeat in 12 matches.
“Coming from a break, skill-wise, energy-wise, execution-wise we weren’t there and if we play like this, we shouldn’t be in the top four,” said Parag.
“We had the opportunity, we didn’t take it. If we don’t qualify, it’s our fault, nobody else’s.”
Delhi jumped to seventh spot in the 10-team table with seven teams jostling for three remaining playoff berths.
The top four teams after the league stage will qualify.
Earlier in the day, defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru became the first team to qualify for the playoffs with a 23-run win over Punjab Kings.
Sooryavanshi blitz in vain
In Delhi, Lungi Ngidi struck early as he sent back Yashasvi Jaiswal for 12, but teenage wonder Sooryavanshi hit back with five fours and three sixes.
Sooryavanshi, a left-handed opener who has hit one ton and two half-centuries this season, put on 70 runs with Jurel before medium-pace bowler Madhav Tiwari denied the rising star his fifty.
Jurel and Parag kept up the pace but Starc rattled the Rajasthan middle-order with two in two balls, including Parag and Donovan Ferreira, and a third in the same over.
Jurel stood anchor before his departure in the 20th but Delhi’s bowlers produced miserly spells to allow Rajasthan just 33 runs from the last six overs, in which time they took six wickets.
“We didn’t bowl too badly in the powerplay but they batted well, but we brought things back later,” said player-of-the-match Starc.
“And KL batted fantastically, and to finish at home with a win is always nice.”
In reply, Porel and Rahul responded with a commanding century stand before they departed as Rajasthan hit back.
Rahul went back in the 15th over with Delhi on 133-3, needing 61 off 33 balls.
Archer took down Tristan Stubbs, for four, and Brijesh had another South African, David Miller, for nine to raise Rajasthan’s hopes.
But Ashutosh kept calm and struck a four and two sixes in his five-ball knock to allow Delhi to win in their last home game.