Stubbs, Rahul steer DC to thrilling win against RCB
New Delhi, April 19 -- As Delhi Capitals were moments away from getting back to winning ways, David Miller was probably having a flashback of the game against Gujarat Titans. He had pretty much done it all before erring and failing to get two runs off two balls. This time, against high-flying Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Miller redeemed himself as DC sealed a six-wicket win with a ball to spare.
With 15 needed in the last over, Miller joined his South Africa team-mate Tristan Stubbs (60*) to take his team past the line.
Bowling the last over, Romario Shepherd erred with full tosses that Miller had no trouble seeing off with two sixes and a four in a row. He stuck the penultimate ball of the match for a boundary to seal their third win in five games.
Earlier, with 176 to chase, DC were off to a bad start. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was on fire as he took a three-fer in the Powerplay, reducing DC to 18/3. But KL Rahul (57), on his home ground, and the calm and composed Tristan Stubbs (60*) got together and put the innings back on track.
Rahul, playing at a venue so familiar from his junior days, batted beautifully and looked set to take his side home when he holed out taking on a bouncer by Krunal Pandya, Virat Kohli completing a fine catch at long-off.
Skipper Axar Patel (26) played a handy cameo but battled cramps and eventually had to retire hurt. In came Miller and at that phase RCB kept it tight and conceded 14 off the three overs. But in the last over, Miller's power-hitting and finishing prowess did the job for DC. It was only the second loss for defending champions RCB, who are second with eight points.
"It feels really good. To get one from the other night. I was just a bit disappointed a couple of games ago, but to get myself back in that position, it was good to get over the line," Miller told the broadcaster after the match.
"It's always going to be there at the back of the mind until you actually win another game. That's our take. And it has been a couple of games, we obviously have a week off, so I've worked on a few things, just trying to stay in the moment as well and do what I can.
"It's always good finishing off games with Stubbo. We batted a lot together and he just said thanks so much, you saved me there. But I thought he batted unbelievably well. He anchored the innings all the way through. He was calm. He's got great technique and is very powerful. So, for him being there was massive for us," he added.
RCB signed off at 175/8 after an innings that ebbed and flowed. The home side were well set early on, riding on Phil Salt's fluent 63 off 38 deliveries that anchored the first half and hinted at a much bigger total. Kohli, on the other end, started well but fell to Lungi Ngidi's scrambled seam delivery.
Salt had provided impetus after a watchful start, stitching together a 52-run opening stand with Kohli and then adding 47 with Devdutt Padikkal. But just as the platform seemed laid, DC applied the brakes expertly through the middle and at the death. Salt's acceleration in the Powerplay, particularly against pacer Auqib Nabi, lifted RCB to 59/1 despite Kohli's early departure.
However, after that, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and Ngidi led the squeeze with two wickets apiece, varying pace and lengths cleverly on a slightly two-paced Chinnaswamy surface. Once Padikkal and Salt fell in quick succession, Delhi seized control. The slowdown was evident as RCB, who had reached 99/2 at the halfway mark, managed only 76 runs in the final 10 overs.
Skipper Rajat Patidar and Tim David threatened briefly but couldn't convert their starts as disciplined bowling and sharp fielding ensured RCB never regained momentum.
The slide was most pronounced at the back end, RCB losing four wickets for 29 runs in the last five overs. Delhi were particularly clinical at the death, conceding just eight runs in the final two overs to rule out a possibility of any late surge.
Eventually, the target proved well within reach as DC chased it down to climb to fourth spot.
Brief scores: RCB 175/8 (P Salt 63, L Ngidi 2/39, Kuldeep 2/32, Axar 2/18). DC 179/4 in 19.5 ovs (KL Rahul 57, T Stubbs 60*, Bhuvneshwar 3/26). DC won by 6 wickets....
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