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Veteran seamer Mitchell Starc credited Delhi Capitals' (DC) disciplined bowling effort and adaptability after his four-wicket haul helped seal a five-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash on Sunday night.
Starc was the standout performer with figures of 4/40, dismissing key Royals batters, including skipper Riyan Parag (51), Donovan Ferreira (0), Ravi Singh (4), and Dasun Shanaka (10). His spell proved crucial in halting RR's momentum after they were well placed at 160/2 in the 14th over. During the post-match presentation, Starc, who was named Player of the Match, said the bowling unit responded strongly after the power play and praised the collective effort in restricting the Rajasthan Royals to 193/8 despite a strong start from the opposition. "We didn't bowl too badly in the power play. We fought back really well towards the end. Very good start for us. To get those two points is always nice. That's the key, adjusting quickly," Starc said. Highlighting the importance of adaptability, the Australian pacer added that bowlers must remain composed under pressure and praised the contributions from his teammates. "As bowlers, you have to put the ego aside. There's plenty of talent there. We've seen some young talent come through. It's a positive to see the youngsters come here and perform," he said.Fluent half-centuries from Abishek Porel and KL Rahul, followed by a late explosive cameo from skipper Axar Patel, guided DC to a five-wicket win over RR in their IPL clash at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Chasing 194, Delhi Capitals got off to a flying start as Porel (51 off 31) and Rahul (56 off 42) stitched an aggressive opening stand, taking the attack to the bowlers during a dominant powerplay. Their quick scoring laid a strong platform, with DC reaching 72 without loss in the first six overs. After the openers set the tone, Axar Patel played a decisive finishing knock, smashing 34 off 18 balls to seal the chase with four balls to spare. Despite brief resistance from Rajasthan Royals' bowlers, DC maintained control in the final stages to complete the victory. Earlier, Rajasthan Royals posted 193/8, boosted by a rapid 46 off 21 balls from teenage batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and a quickfire fifty from Riyan Parag. However, they lost momentum in the death overs due to a strong Delhi bowling performance. Mitchell Starc starred with a four-wicket haul, while Lungi Ngidi and Madhav Tiwari picked up two wickets each to restrict RR below 200 and set up Delhi's successful chase. (ANI)
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