3 min learnApr 21, 2026 10:52 PM IST
Nitish Rana’s place within the Delhi Capitals squad was partly justified by his skill to bowl off-spin. With Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head and Ishan Kishan — three left-handers — anchoring the Sunrisers Hyderabad prime order, the logic was sound. A ball turning away from the left-hander is a more durable proposition. There was one drawback. Rana barely turned the ball in any respect.
The part-timer bowled two overs within the Powerplay and two within the center overs, conceding 55 runs with out a wicket. Six sixes and two fours — all, paradoxically, from left-handers. The frustration for DC followers was not simply the injury however the arithmetic: 5 specialist bowlers accessible, and but Rana nonetheless bowled 4. His first three overs price 32 — a suitable return for a non-regular in T20 cricket. Then Axar Patel gave him the fifteenth over. It went for 23, together with three sixes and a 4.
This whereas Axar himself and Kuldeep Yadav — two spinners most captains would hand full quotas with out hesitation — bowled two overs every. Kuldeep was focused by Abhishek and Ishan and went for 30, however a wrist-spinner of his high quality is exactly the kind to show a spell round if trusted with the ball. He’s, at minimal, a greater possibility than a part-timer who repeatedly landed the ball within the left-handers’ hitting arc.
Axar is adept at squeezing a sport when the opposition is in full circulation. The left-handed prime order could have given him pause, although he did dismiss Head and conceded solely 23 in his two overs. An skilled bowler shouldn’t be spooked by a nasty match-up — and crucially, he nonetheless didn’t deliver himself on when Heinrich Klaasen arrived on the crease.
Sunrisers had been 183 for two after 15 overs. A rating properly previous 250 was solely inside attain — this can be a facet that owns 4 of the 5 highest totals in IPL historical past and is extensively anticipated to be the primary to breach 300. That DC pulled them again to 242, with the final 5 overs costing fewer than 60, is one thing. However had Axar trusted his front-line bowlers extra, the injury would probably have been significantly much less, and the wicket column would have regarded much less naked.
Natarajan nailed his yorkers on the demise to return 40 from 4 overs. Ngidi gave away 41. The specialists contained the injury Rana was introduced in to forestall.
Keep up to date with the most recent sports activities information throughout Cricket, Soccer, Chess, and extra. Catch all of the motion with real-time dwell cricket rating updates and in-depth protection of ongoing matches.
© The Indian Specific Pvt Ltd