Blazing knocks by Prithvi Shaw and Rishabh Pant helped Delhi Capitals knock Sunrisers Hyderabad out of the Indian Premier League on Wednesday and move one step from the final with a tense two-wicket victory.
Shaw hit a quickfire 56 while Pant smashed 49 off 21 balls as Delhi chased down their target of 163 in 19.5 overs to win the Eliminator in Visakhapatnam.
The left-handed Pant fell in the penultimate over and there was drama in the final six balls with Amit Mishra given out for obstructing the field after running in front of the bowler’s throw at the non-striker’s end.
Number eight Keemo Paul, who took three wickets in the Hyderabad innings, hit the winning boundary to trigger wild celebrations in the Delhi camp.
Delhi, who notched their first ever IPL playoff victory, will take on defending champions Chennai Super Kings in the second qualifier on Friday.
The 19-year-old Shaw led his team’s batting charge with six fours and two sixes in his 38-ball stay.
Shaw fell to paceman Khaleel Ahmed who struck twice in the 11th over of the innings including the wicket of Delhi skipper Shreyas Iyer for eight.
Afghan star Rashid Khan also hurt Delhi’s chase with his twin strikes in one over, sending back Colin Munro for 14 and Axar Patel for nought. Delhi slipped to 111-5.
Pant, who was not picked in the preliminary 15-man Indian World Cup squad, then took the Hyderabad bowling apart with his power hitting to put the chase back on track.
Earlier, Delhi’s bowlers restricted the Kane Williamson-led Hyderabad to 162 for eight after being invited to bat first.
Here are the statistical highlights of the Eliminator:
This was the first time ever the Delhi franchise won a knockout match in the IPL
- 2008: Lost semis to RR by 105 runs
- 2009: Lost semis to Deccan by six wickets
- 2012: Lost Qualifier 1 to KKR by 18 runs
- 2012: Lost Qualifier 2 to CSK by 86 runs
- 2019: Won Eliminator against SRH by 2 wickets
- Amit Mishra became only the second player to be dismissed obstructing the field.
- With the wicket of Martin Guptill, Mishra also became the first bowler to take 100 wickets for the Delhi franchise.
- Rishabh Pant’s innings was a memorable one and his strike rate since the last of season is bettered only by Sunil Narine and Andre Russell as noted below.
- In defeat, Rashid Khan finished the night with stunning figures and currently has the best economy rate in this year’s tournament.
- An interesting coincidence marked the ending of the thrilling game.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!