IPL 2020: Delhi Capitals beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 6 wickets; both qualify for playoffs
Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane smashed a half-century each to help Delhi Capitals sweep aside Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by six wickets in the two sides’ last league stage clash of the ongoing 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Monday.
With the win, the Delhi franchise has move up to the second spot in the 2020 points table and qualify for the playoffs of this year’s cash-rich league. The Shreyas Iyer-led side will now get two shots for a place in the final.
Meanwhile, RCB have also booked their place in the playoffs despite the defeat due to a better net run-rate than Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The Virat Kohli-led side are standing at the third place with 14 points.
Delhi Capitals won the toss and opted to bowl first against RCB during the match.
Anrich Nortje bagged three wickets, while Kagiso Rabada and Ravichandran Ashwin claimed two and a wicket, respectively to help DC restrict RCB to a score of 152 for seven in their stipulated 20 overs despite Devdutt Padikkal’s fifty.
Bangalore lost Josh Philippe cheaply for 12 runs. His opening partner Padikkal then not only hammered a crucial 41-ball 50 but also stitched a 57-run stand with Virat Kohli before the skipper fell for 29 off an Ashwin delivery.
AB de Villiers then contributed with 21-ball 35, while Chris Morris (0), Shivam Dube (17) and Isuru Udana (4) all fell cheaply.
In reply, Prithvi Shaw departed cheaply for nine runs before Shikhar Dhawan (41-ball 54) and Ajinkya Rahane (46-ball 60) not only notched up a fifty each, but also shared a crucial 88-run partnership for the second wicket to help Delhi chase down the target with an over to spare.
Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant and Marcus Stoinis remained unbeaten at the crease at eight and 10, respectively.
For RCB, Shahbaz Ahmed claimed two wickets, while Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar took a wicket each.
Nortje was declared ‘Man of the Match’ for his good show with the ball.
