Visakhapatnam, Mar 30 (UNI) Mitchell Starc ripped through the Sunrisers Hyderabad batting lineup with a fiery five-wicket haul as Delhi Capitals bowled out the hosts for 163 in 18.4 overs and went on to win by seven wickets in the 10th match of IPL 2025 at Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium here on Sunday.
Opting to bat first, SRH had a rocky start, losing opener Abhishek Sharma for 1 in the first over via a run out by Vipraj Nigam. Star Australian batsman Travis Head (22 off 12) provided some early momentum with three well-timed boundaries, including a push-drive past mid-off and a crisp flick through backward square leg. However, he was caught by keeper KL Rahul off Starc in the fourth over.
Ishan Kishan (2) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (0) fell in quick succession to Starc, leaving SRH reeling at 25/3 in just 2.3 overs. The left-arm pacer continued his rampage, later dismissing Wiaan Mulder (9) and Harshal Patel (5) to complete his five-for, finishing with figures of 5/35 in 3.4 overs. One of the highlights of his spell was a sharp catch taken by Axar Patel at mid-off to dismiss Harshal.
Aniket Verma played a blazing knock of 74 off 41 balls, which included six fours and five sixes, bringing up his maiden IPL fifty with a single past mid-wicket. His aggressive intent was evident as he smashed back-to-back sixes off Axar Patel, one lofted straight over the bowler’s head and another pulled over mid-wicket.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Heinrich Klaasen contributed 32 off 19 before being caught by Nigam off Mohit Sharma, breaking a crucial 77-run stand. However, the middle and lower order could not provide substantial support, as Abhinav Manohar (4), captain Pat Cummins (2), and Harshal Patel (5) failed to convert their starts. Cummins fell to a mistimed pull off Kuldeep Yadav, while Manohar holed out to Faf du Plessis at long-off.
Kuldeep Yadav impressed with 3/22 in his 4-over spell, while Mohit Sharma picked up a wicket. Aniket had an eventful innings, surviving a dropped catch on 6 when Abhishek Porel failed to hold on at extra cover. His fireworks, including a six that brought up a fifty-run partnership in just 22 deliveries, kept SRH in contention, but their total remained underwhelming.
In response, Delhi chased down the target with ease, posting 166/3 in 16 overs. Faf du Plessis led the charge with a blistering 50 off 27 balls, bringing up his half-century with a pull through the leg-side off Harshal Patel. Jake Fraser-McGurk contributed 38 off 32, despite surviving two dropped chances – one by Cummins at mid-on and another near mid-off where Aniket nearly pulled off a blinder.
Zeeshan Ansari was the pick of the SRH bowlers, claiming all three wickets for 32 runs in his four-over spell. He dismissed du Plessis for 50 with a well-tossed-up delivery, forcing a miscue to Wiaan Mulder at deep mid-wicket. He followed it up by removing Fraser-McGurk, who chipped a return catch to the bowler, and later bowled KL Rahul for 15 as the latter missed a sweep shot.
Tristan Stubbs (21*) ensured there were no further hiccups, smashing three boundaries in quick succession. He pulled Mulder through backward square leg for four, drove a fuller delivery through wide mid-off, and chipped a full toss over long-on to bring up 150 for Delhi. With only nine runs required off 28 balls, Abishek Porel (34*) finished things off in style, launching Mulder over deep mid-wicket for a massive six to seal a seven-wicket victory with four overs to spare.
With this win, Delhi not only secured two points but also significantly boosted their net run rate.
