IPL 2025 witnessed its first Super Over during the Delhi Capitals vs Rajasthan Royals match at the Arun Jaitely Stadium in Delhi on Wednesday. DC batted first to score 188/5, later RR also managed to reach 188/4 in 20 overs. After RR wobbled a bit in middle overs, Nitish Rana‘s 51 off 28 balls put them back on track. However, the match went into Super Over after the scores were tied. Interestingly, RR sent Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal in the Super Over. They could not even complete the six ball as they lost two wickets and scored 11. DC chased own the Super Over target of 12 runs in four balls.
Nitish Rana was asked about him being not sent for Soper Over.
“The management takes the call, not one person. The captain is there along with two other senior players and coaches. If Shimron Hetmyer had hit two sixes, then you wouldn’t be asking this question. I will give the same answer. I don’t have any other answer. Whatever decisions we took was absolutely right. Hetmyer is our finisher, that everyone knows. He has delivered in the past,” Rana said in the press conference.
“One person never takes such calls. Management and support staff is there to discuss such things. If the decision was in our favour then your question would have been different. Cricket is a result-oriented sport. If Sandeep Sharma had bowled well in the Super Over, which he has done in the past. In this situation, he was most likely the bowler for us. We were one big shot less. We were targeting 15 runs in the Super Over.”
In a match that had its ebbs and flows, Delhi Capitals (DC) held their nerve to emerge victorious over Rajasthan Royals (RR) in a thrilling Super Over and climb atop the points table at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday.
On a slow pitch, late cameos from captain Axar Patel, Tristan Stubbs, and Ashutosh Sharma rescued DC from a precarious position and enabled them to post a formidable 188/5. In reply, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Nitish Rana threatened to take RR to victory by smashing 51 runs each.
But Mitchell Starc‘s defense of nine runs in the final over meant the game went into a Super Over, which happened for the first time in the IPL after 2022. Starc again delivered for DC in the Super Over, as RRwase kept to 12. Stubbs and KL Rahul kept themselves calm to ensure DC clinched an incredible win, which was also their first victory of the ongoing season in New Delhi.
In the Super Oval, DC went ahead with Starc against Shimron Hetmyer and Riyan Parag. The duo hit a boundary each off him, including off a no-ball, before committing a harakiri by being run out on successive balls and setting a target of 12 runs to win for DC.
After taking two runs on the first ball, Rahul sliced Sandeep Sharma for four, before taking a single. Stubbs then pulled Sandeep over deep mid-wicket for six to seal a thrilling win for DC, who have now won a Super Over for the fourth time in their history of being in the IPL.
With IANS inputs
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