40th Match, IPL: Sunrisers Hyderabad 197 for 6 (Abhishek 67, Klaasen 53*, Marsh 4-27) beat Delhi Capitals 188 for 6 (Marsh 63, Salt 59, Mayank Markande 2-20) by 9 runs

On a low, slow pitch at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Delhi Capitals, snapping a three-match losing streak, in a high-stakes game in which neither team relented from punches.

At one phase, Capitals were on target to fire down a 198-run target when Mitchell Bog and Phil Salt set up 112 in only 11 overs after David Warner succumbed to a second-ball duck.

After that, one wicket led to another, and before Delhi realized it, Sunrisers had recovered thanks to Mayank Markande’s skill, who went 2 for 20. The Capitals have two wins in eight games, while the Sunrisers have three in eight, keeping them rooted to the bottom of the points table.

Abhishek’s powerplay salvo

Abhishek Sharma returned to open the innings after a game in the middle order, lofting Ishant Sharma for two consecutive boundaries in the first over. Mayank Agarwal’s excusal to a short ball gave Ishant some satisfaction in his second over, yet Abhishek wasn’t in that frame of mind to dial back. He hit 43 in Sunrisers’ 62 for 2 after the first six overs, taking Ishant for four boundaries in the seamer’s third over.

Capitals’ comeback

The Capitals won the following four outs, allowing just 21 runs. Despite the short boundaries, Marsh changed the game during this phase by removing pace and allowing batters to force pace on a surface where the ball was holding up. Harry Brook toe-ended a pull to the edge of the ring two balls after he had Aiden Markram picking out deep midwicket. Axar Patel was the catcher on both occasions.

A valiant effort, but not our night at home. pic.twitter.com/MoIdlOvy5i

— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) April 29, 2023

The Klaasen kick

Heinrich Klaasen got into the game by destroying Mukesh Kumar in the 11th over, which ended with a score of 24 after Abhishek had scored a century off 25 balls. Klaasen finished it off with a monstrous six down the ground off a leg cutter, and Abhishek started it off with two fours that went back to back. However, Axar was difficult to escape as he varied his pace and angles to finish with 1 for 29 from four overs. His big wicket of Abhishek for a 36-ball 67 came as a reward. If Klaasen hadn’t belted him for two sixes to end his spell, it could have been much more impressive. Sunrisers reached 62 in their final five overs thanks to a 53-run partnership between Klaasen and Abdul Samad off 33 balls and some late runs from Akeal Hosein.

Warner falls but Marsh fires

The Sunrisers could not have had a better start; Warner was coaxed into cutting on the second ball by Bhuvneshwar Kumar. However, by going after Hosein’s left-arm darts, Marsh and Salt increased their partnership’s half-century milestone in just 29 balls. The Sunrisers made an apparent effort to avoid dew by using spin overs, but Hosein was too short, and the batters enjoyed a nice spread against the short square boundaries.

The Capitals’ chances of winning were estimated at 19.43 percent after five overs by ESPNcricinfo’s forecaster, but by seven, this number had increased to 45.68 percent. Marsh’s take-off against Umran Malik played a part in that. Marsh was able to get inside the boundary and simply assist it in beating the long leg twice for sixes in a 22-run over as Malik continued to bowl short and into the body. Salt hit two straight fours against the short ball to start and end that over. Sunrisers suffered as a result.

Mayank Markande leads spinners into it

Markande made use of the pitch’s sluggishness to string together dots before catching Salt off guard with a return catch. Considering that Salt’s first half-century had set the tone for the chase, it was a significant wicket. After that, Manish Pandey ran down the track after seven balls, but Abhishek shortened his length and beat him in the air and off the field.

It was currently all on Swamp to see Capitals home, yet that wasn’t to be as Hosein hit back greatly after the early invasion by excusing him. He bravely tossed it up for Marsh to go again after it had been slammed into the ground on the previous delivery. However, this one grabbed and turned, and Marsh sliced it to Markram. That was the game for Sunrisers right there. Axar built a couple towards the end, yet the center request lull after the Salt-Swamp stand ended up being the distinction.