While it was a rather slow start for Delhi Capitals (DC) in the ongoing Indian Premier League 2023, it seems like they haven’t been able to capitalise on their winning momentum, having succumbed to a defeat by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the match no. 40 on Saturday, April 29, which was played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. The visiting skipper Aiden Markram won the toss and elected to bat first.
At one moment, it felt that Hyderabad’s decision to defend was spot on, as they posted a mammoth 197/6 at the end of their allotted 20 overs, courtesy of early attacks by Abhishek Sharma (67 off 36) and a finishing touch by Heinrich Klaasen (53* off 27). However, Mitchell Marsh (4/27), who showcased one of his individual best bowling displays, also dazzled for DC with the bat, as he partnered with Phil Salt to make the chase look easy.
SRH did give an early blow to Delhi as ace pacer Bhuvneshvar Kumar got the prized scalp of in-form David Warner on the second ball of the innings; however, the way Salt (59 off 35) and Marsh (63 off 39) carried the innings seemed like there was nothing that could come in their way of taking their side through. While the Aussie star took 28 balls to reach his fifty, the keeper-batter took a ball more to reach the milestone.
With the fall of three wickets (Salt, Marsh, and Manish Pandey) in quick succession, suddenly, things started looking difficult for DC, as they required 69 runs with six overs in their pocket. The decision to play Priyam Garg at five instead of Axar Patel proved to be costly for the hosts, as he, too, was dismissed cheaply, leaving the side in all sorts of trouble.
A target, which looked manageable for DC, couldn’t be achieved, as they eventually fell short by nine runs. Despite Marsh’s heroics, the Delhi-based franchise eventually couldn’t manage a win owing to some serious bowling by the Aiden Markram-led side. Mayank Markande stood out with the ball as he took 2 for 20 in his spell, whereas Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Hosein, Natarajan, and Abhishek Sharma bagged a scalp each.