Rajasthan Royals Beat Delhi Daredevils by 10 Runs (D/L)

The 2018 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) got off to a blistering start following a couple of humdingers in the opening week. Meanwhile, two teams in the Rajasthan Royals (RR) and the Delhi Daredevils (DD) were encountered with comprehensive defeats in their opening games. The teams locked horns at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur.

The game was halted courtesy consistent spells of rain and was on the verge of being called off. However, the rain stopped minutes before the cut-off time and the Daredevils were set a revised target of 71 runs off six overs, which turned out to be a fry cry for the visitors. Meanwhile, the Royals opened their account in the tournament and Delhi find themselves at the bottom of the table.

Delhi started handsomely with a couple of quick wickets of D’Arcy Short and Ben Stokes. Ajinkya Rahane and Sanju Samson resurrected the start and stitched together a useful stand for the Royals. Most importantly, it laid the platform for a blistering finish. Jos Buttler played brilliantly after which rain threatened to play spoilsport.

The run chase turned out one-sided in favour of the Royals. Gautam Gambhir demoted himself, bearing in mind the requirements of achieving the target. Glenn Maxwell and Colin Munro opened the batting, but the latter perished without facing a ball. Rishabh Pant and Glenn Maxwell took charge and found the boundaries on a consistent basis.

Meanwhile, the required rate mounted alarmingly, which eventually went out of hand for the Daredevils. The Royals’ bowlers were stupendous and expertly held their nerves. Dhawal Kulkarni conceded four runs in his only over, which pushed the visitors on the back-foot. Jaydev Unadkat churned out three successive deliveries to Maxwell which built further pressure.

In the last over, Delhi required a staggering 25 runs which was always going to be an uphill task for the batsmen. Morris spanked a couple of boundaries in the penultimate and final ball of the match, but by then the contest was all over bar the shouting and the Royals won by 10 runs (D/L Method).