Jaipur, 02 May (H.S.):

Delhi Capitals bounced back to winning ways with a commanding seven-wicket victory over Rajasthan Royals in a high-scoring thriller on Friday. Chasing a formidable 225 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Delhi achieved the target for the loss of just three wickets.

Batting first after winning the toss, Rajasthan Royals (RR) endured a shaky start as openers Vaibhav Suryavanshi (4) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (6) fell cheaply. Captain Riyan Parag then steadied the innings with a superb 90 off 50 balls. Parag found excellent support from Dhruv Jurel, who scored 42 off 30 balls, as the duo forged a vital 102-run third-wicket partnership. Donovan Ferreira's explosive 47 off 14 balls (6 sixes, 2 fours) propelled RR to 225/6 in 20 overs. For Delhi, Mitchell Starc, making his first appearance this season, claimed 3/40 in four overs, while Kyle Jamieson, captain Axar Patel, and T Natarajan picked up one wicket apiece.

In pursuit of the target, Delhi enjoyed a solid powerplay for the first time this season, courtesy of openers Pathum Nissanka (62 off 33 balls) and KL Rahul (75 off 40 balls), who unleashed aggressive strokeplay to reach 70/0 at the end of the phase. After Nissanka's dismissal, Rahul anchored the innings until the 15th over. Nitish Rana contributed a brisk 33 off 17 balls, while Tristan Stubbs (18*) and Axar Sharma (25*) finished unbeaten to guide the team home. Rajasthan's Tushar Deshpande, Jofra Archer, and Ravindra Jadeja claimed one wicket each.

Rajasthan banked on their strong total and Archer's form, but Delhi's batters delivered a clinical performance to seal a seven-wicket triumph.

This win snapped Delhi Capitals' three-match losing streak, propelling them back into contention. Delhi sits sixth in the points table with 4 wins and 5 losses from 9 matches, while Rajasthan Royals hold fourth place with 6 wins and 4 losses from 10 games.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar