SHARJAH: An aggressive bowling display coupled with some good fielding saw Rajasthan Royals restrict Delhi Capitals to a below-par 184 for eight in an Indian Premier League match here on Friday.
Desperate to snap their three-match losing streak, RR opted to field and the bowling unit delivered with Jofra Archer (3/24) taking three wickets and spinner Rahul Tewatia (1/20) and Kartik Tyagi (1/35) capturing one each.
Playing his first IPL match this season, Andrew Tye also took one wicket but he conceded 50 in his four overs. The Capitals' posted the lowest first innings total at the ground this season. The two run outs of the dangerous Shreyas Iyer (22 off 18) and Rishabh Pant (5) also proved crucial.
Shimron Hetmyer smashed a 24-ball 45, studded with five sixes and a four to emerge as the top-scorer for Delhi. Marcus Stoinis (39 off 30) too chipped in. Archer was the pick of the bowlers as he dismissed opener Shikhar Dhawan (5) in the second over for his first wicket in the Powerplay this year.
Skipper Iyer then smashed two fours off pacer Varun Aaron (0/25 in 2 overs) and then Prithvi Shaw (19 off 10) deposited him into the stands after Tyagi dropped the opener in the previous ball. However, Shaw couldn't stay longer as Archer induced a top-edge from the batsman and then completed the catch as DC slipped to 42 for two.
Young Yashasvi Jaiswal then run out Iyer with a brilliant direct throw with Delhi slumping to 51 for three at the end of powerplay. Marcus Stoinis then made spinner Shreyas Gopal pay for bowling short, clobbering him for successive sixes.
Tyagi and Rahul Tewatia then further stymied the run flow before Hetmyer smashed Tye for a six to bring up the 100 in 13th over. Stoinis then sliced at a wide delivery to hand Tewatia a wicket in his last over to leave at DC at 109 for five.
Hetmyer then took over the mantle and hit Tye for a four and six before launching Tyagi for successive sixes. But the young India pacer had the last laugh as the West Indies batsman was holed out at the long-on boundary.
In the 18th over, Axar Patel (17 off 8) blasted two fours and a six off Tye to rack up 22 runs.
Brief scores: Delhi Capitals 184/8 in 20 overs (Shimron Hetmyer 45; Jofra Archer 3/24)