The Rajasthan Royals (RR) defeated the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the thirty-fourth game of the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL). The match was played in the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Jos Buttler was adjudged to be the Man of the Match.
| RAJASTHAN ROYALS | 222/2 (20 OVERS) |
| JOS BUTTLER 116 (65) | MUSTAFIZUR RAHMAN 4-0-43-1 |
| DEVDUTT PADIKKAL 54 (35) | KHALEEL AHMED 4-0-47-1 |
| SANJU SAMSON 46* (19) | AXAR PATEL 2-0-21-0 |
| SHIMRON HETMYER 1* (1) | SHARDUL THAKUR 3-1-29-0 |
| DELHI CAPITALS | 207/8 (20 OVERS) |
| RISHABH PANT 44 (24) | PRASIDH KRISHNA 4-1-22-3 |
| LALIT YADAV 37 (24) | RAVICHANDRAN ASHWIN 4-0-32-2 |
| PRITHVI SHAW 37 (27) | YUZVENDRA CHAHAL 4-0-28-1 |
| ROVMAN POWELL 36 (15) | OBED MCCOY 3-0-52-1 |
Cautiousness to begin with
You wouldn't have guessed the carnage we were about to witness from the start. Jos Buttler was bothered by Khaleel Ahmed's left-arm angle and seam movement in the opening over, as he gave up two boundaries. Shardul Thakur bowled a maiden after that, and Lalit Yadav snuck in a boundary-less over of part-time offspin.
A significant shift in momentum
Devdutt Padikkal has been a bystander as Buttler has continued to hit hundreds, but Padikkal relieved the load on Buttler in this game by hitting three fours in Mustafizur Rahman's opening over. Buttler followed it up in the sixth with two sixes off Ahmed, turning it into a 44 for 0 powerplay.
The spinners for the Delhi Capitals have been among the best in the league. Buttler and Padikkal went after Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav in the eighth and ninth overs, respectively, taking 12 and 15.
Buttler shook up all of the Capitals' preparations when he put the returning Thakur in the top tier in the 10th over. Ricky Ponting had to remain back because a family member had tested positive for Covid-19.
Rishabh Pant felt compelled to return to Lalit Yadav to provide cover for an expensive frontline bowler, but Buttler snuggled into his non-turning offbreaks and took 35 off his two overs. Buttler had a lot of help from Padikkal, who gave Buttler the majority of the strike. Sanju Samson, who went after everything in his 19-ball 46 after Padikkal was dismissed in the 16th over, became a larger worry for the Capitals.
Buttler's flawless hitting continued, strengthening his hold on the orange hat. In fact, he has more boundaries than the competition's second-highest run-scorer.
Warner, Shaw get going right away
Prithvi Shaw started with two fours in the first two balls, David Warner moved to 28 off 13 balls, and the chase was on if the dew had appeared. Prasidh Krishna, on the other hand, cramped Warner and drew the edge to slow down the Capitals.
Middle overs controlled by spinners
The middle overs were once again dominated by Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal. In the sixth over, Ashwin got Sarfaraz Khan, Chahal followed up with tight overs, and Ashwin then got Shaw caught at deep cover. It appeared that the game was over when Krishna returned to get Pant, bowling hard lengths once more to make it 124 for 4 in the 12th over.
Powell flips the script
Rovman Powell instilled fear throughout the 18th over. They needed 51 runs off 18 balls to win, and Powell struck two sixes at the end of the over to make it 36 runs off the final two. Krishna returned with a wicket-maiden, bowling around the wicket with a solid cover field on the fence and hiding the ball wide.
The penultimate over, though, was to be bowled by Obed McCoy, who had had a disappointing night, giving 26 in the ninth over. The nerves were evident as Powell began to launch the balls into the night sky. Conferences grew longer, as did the time between deliveries. The one between third and fourth was the longest because the Capitals demanded a reversal of a no-ball verdict, which was impossible given the circumstances.
After the layoff, a slower short ball brought the dot, and the game was over.
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