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Starc, Rahul lift Delhi Capitals to much-needed win

cricket01 May 2026 18:30| © MWP
By:CS Chiwanza
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Mitchell Starc captured three vital wickets before KL Rahul, Pathum Nissanka scored half-centuries in Delhi Capitals' seven-wicket win over the Rajasthan Royals in their Tata Indian Premier League match at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Friday evening.

Riyan Parag, the Royals captain, won the toss and elected to bat first. The visitors' bowlers restricted them to 225 for six. The Capitals needed 19.1 overs to reach 226 for three and claim victory. The win lifts the Capitals into sixth position.

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“You know, you have to come every day and do your best. Very happy with the way the boys played. The way they batted, bowled - both departments - I'm very happy. We executed our plans and got the results we wanted,” Axar Patel, the Capitals’ captain, shared after the match.

KL Rahul held the Capitals' innings together with a well-played 40-ball 75 (6x4s, 5x6s). This is his 43rd IPL half-century and the third for the season. The experienced campaigner faced 27 balls to reach the milestone. The 34-year-old's innings ended when he was caught by Donovan Ferreira at deep mid-wicket while trying to clear the ropes.

“We play the sport to win. After playing for so many years, wins do matter. You score runs and break records, but you don't get the points,” KL Rahul, the Player of the Match and new Orange cap holder, said, addressing his match-winning half-century.

Rahul shared a fantastic 110-run opening stand with Pathum Nissanka that ensured that the visitors had a solid platform to launch from at the death. Nissanka played a great hand and was dismissed for a brisk 62 from 33 balls.

This is his maiden IPL half-century, and he faced 23 balls to get to the milestone. Tristan Stubbs (18*) and Ashutosh Sharma (25*) held their nerve and shepherded the Capitals home with an unbroken 49-run four-wicket partnership.

“We had to remind each other to play proper cricket shots. Strike rate was a big talking point for a few years. Happy I've worked on that, and doing what modern T20 cricket requires,” KL Rahul said of his partnership with Nissanka.

Earlier in the evening, Mitchell Starc marked his return to IPL action after a long injury layoff with a three-wicket haul. The seamer dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravindra Jadeja and Riyan Parag on his way to three wickets for 40 runs in four overs. He had support from Kyle Jamieson, Axar Patel, and T. Natarajan, who claimed a wicket each.

“Nice to get the cobwebs out. Good to get some running in the legs, get some training in. Nice return,” Starc said after the game.

“The way Starc bowled, I want to say that's why he's a legend - after three months, he's playing and putting in a performance like this,” Patel added.

Parag led from the front with a 50-ball 90 (8x4s, 5x6s) to set the Royals up for a competitive total. This is his eighth IPL half-century and first of the season. Parag faced 32 balls to reach the milestone. His knock created the perfect platform for Ferreira to come in and hit the ball over the park. The South African star hit bowlers to all corners on his way to an impressive unbeaten 47 from 14 balls. Unfortunately, their efforts were not enough to set the Royals up for victory.

“Thought it was a good score. 200 around par. (We) Could have bowled way better in the middle overs,” Parag revealed after the contest.

RAJASTHAN ROYALS: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (capt), Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Shubham Dubey, Jofra Archer, Ravi Bishnoi, Nandre Burger, Brijesh Sharma.

DELHI CAPITALS:  KL Rahul (wk), Pathum Nissanka, Sameer Rizvi, Tristan Stubbs, Nitish Rana, Axar Patel (capt), Ashutosh Sharma, Kyle Jamieson, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan.

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