DAVID MILLER and Chris Morris combined well to effectively power Rajasthan Royals to a tense three-wicket win over Delhi Capitals in an IPL 2021 match at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday (15).
For Rajasthan, Miller (62 off 43 balls), Morris (36 not out) and Jaydev Unadkat (3 for 15) played a key role with their performances.
Unadkat's spell helped Rajasthan restrict Delhi to 147 for eight. Then it was Miller who anchored the run-chase with Morris playing a handy cameo to seal Rajasthan's first victory of the season with two balls to spare.
Rajasthan got off to a bad start chasing the target, were 17 for 3 in the fourth over and required 58 from the last five overs and 12 from the final over.
In the third over, Chris Woakes removed openers Manan Vohra (9) and Jos Buttler (1) in a space of three balls.
In the next over, Kagiso Rabada struck by getting rid of Rajasthan skipper Sanju Samson, who had scored a century in the last match. Shivam Dube (2) was the next to fall while playing an uppish shot to a length delivery off Avesh Khan with Dhawan taking his 78th catch of the IPL.
Riyan Parag (2) too fell cheaply, with Rajasthan 52 for 5 at the halfway mark and the asking rate nearly 10 an over.
But, Miller and Rahul Tewatia (19) kept the Royals in the hunt with a 48-run stand for the sixth wicket before Rabada came back to get the much-needed breakthrough for Delhi.
Earlier, a brilliant three-wicket spell from left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat helped Rajasthan restrict Delhi to 147 for eight.
Unadkat removed Prithvi Shaw, Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane early to trigger Delhi's top-order collapse from which they never recovered.
Captain Rishabh Pant played a brisk and gutsy 32-ball 51, but it was not enough as Delhi managed to reach a modest total after being put in to bat.
Shaw was the first to fall in the second over, caught at backward point before Dhawan fell while attempting a ramp shot with Samson taking a stunning catch diving to his right.
Rahane's (8) poor form continued as he offered an easy caught and bowled chance to Unadkat off a slow ball that clocked just 110km per hour.
DC were 36 for 3 at the end of power-play but the slump continued as Marcus Stonis was out for a duck to Mustafizur Rahman (2 for 29).
The run-rate climbed once captain Pant came to the crease with Delhi 57 for 4 at the halfway mark.
Pant, reached to his fifty off 30 balls in the 12th over, with a four off Mustafizur but he was run out the next over with bowler Riyan Parag's throw crashing onto the stumps.
After Pant's dismissal, Tom Curran gave Delhi's innings a respectable finish with his 16-ball 21.
England's Jamie Overton celebrates after taking the wicket of West Indies' Gudakesh Motie. Reuters/Andrew Boyers