Top 5 RR-DC matches in IPL history
The Indian Premier League (IPL), now in its 17th edition, might just be a week old but we have already witnessed several last-over thrillers. The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) scripted history on Wednesday when they smashed the highest-ever IPL score of 277/3 against the Mumbai Indians.
The five-time champions gave SRH a run for their money before faltering in the final stages to hand them a 31-run win. This is also the first time we have seen 500+ aggregate in an IPL match.
Coming to the ninth match of the season, it will be the Rajasthan Royals (RR) who will square off against the Delhi Capitals (DC) later today.
While the Royals started their campaign with a resounding 20-run victory against the Lucknow Super Giants, the Delhi Capitals (previously Delhi Daredevils) had a tough outing in their opening clash against the Punjab Kings. However, the return of Rishabh Pant and his agility behind the stumps took centre stage.
Over the years, these two teams have met each other 27 times. While the Delhi Capitals have come out triumphant on 13 occasions, Rajasthan have won 14 games. The head-to-head record clearly shows that neither of the teams has a clear advantage over the other.
With the game slated to commence in a couple of hours time, let us have a look at five of the best IPL matches involving these two teams:
#5 IPL 2021 (Match No. 7 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai) - Rajasthan Royals won by 3 wickets
Back in 2021, the IPL was played only in Mumbai due to the COVID restrictions. In Match No. 7 of the competition, Rajasthan and Delhi battled it out in a cliffhanger, with Rajasthan winning the match by three wickets with a couple of deliveries to spare.
After being put into bat by the Royals skipper Sanju Samson, the Capitals could only muster 147 on the board. The top-order was blown away by Jaydev Unadkat and it was a brilliant counter-attacking knock of 51 off 32 balls from Rishabh Pant which took them to a competitive score of 147.
The Rajasthan Royals faltered at the start of the run-chase and were reduced to 36/4. Chris Woakes and Avesh Khan ran through the RR top-order before David Miller in the company of Chris Morris turned the match on its head.
Miller was dismissed in the 16th over, with Rajasthan still needing over 40 runs. It is when Chris Morris turned on the heat and plundered 36 off 18 deliveries which included 4 sixes. He proved to be the match-winner for RR as they chased down the target with a couple of deliveries to spare.
#4 IPL 2018 (Match No. 32 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi) - Delhi Daredevils won by 4 runs (DLS method)
Back in 2018, these two sides were involved in another fierce battle and this time it was the Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals) who prevailed in a nerve-wracking thriller. The Daredevils got off to a blazing start, courtesy of a superb knock from Prithvi Shaw.
However, the main attraction of the game was Rishabh Pant who treated the crowd to some exhilarating strokeplay. He smashed a 29-ball 69 while Shreyas Iyer also chipped in with a half-century. With DC looking set to post somewhere around 240, the heavens opened up and their innings was halted at 196/6 in 17.1 overs.
The Royals were set a target of 151 in 12 overs and they had no option but to come out all guns blazing. The opening duo of Jos Buttler and D'Arcy Short provided the start RR needed as they raced to 82 in the seventh over before the departure of Jos Buttler opened the floodgates for the Daredevils.
The middle-order was blown away by Trent Boult as DD stamped their authority on the game. However, it was far from finished as Krishnappa Gowtham had other intentions. He blasted a six-ball 18 but it wasn't enough to take his side over the finish line.
#3 IPL 2013 (Match No. 4 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi) - Rajasthan Royals won by 5 runs
Rajasthan Royals got the better of Delhi Daredevils in another hard-fought contest back in 2013. It was the fourth match in the competition and after an intense battle for four hours, the Royals ended up winning by five wickets.
Batting first, the Royals posted a competitive score of 165 in their allotted 20 overs. Rahul Dravid was the top-scorer for the Royals with a 51-ball 65 which laid the foundation for a score in excess of 160.
Stuart Binny also made a significant difference, scoring a quickfire 40 off just 20 deliveries. The Daredevils clawed their way back in the final overs, restricting them to 165. When David Warner took the charge in the run-chase, it looked like a cakewalk for DD. Warner scored a 56-ball 77 and looked in a belligerent mood.
However, he couldn't get support at the other end as DD kept losing wickets regularly. When Warner was run out by his fellow countryman Brad Hodge in the penultimate over, Delhi were still in the game. However, a brilliant final over from Kevon Cooper ensured Rajasthan prevailed in the end, only by five runs.
#2 IPL 2015 (Match No. 6 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi) - Rajasthan Royals won by 3 wickets
While the head-to-head difference between the two teams is minimal, it seems the Rajasthan Royals have an edge over Delhi when it comes to last-over finishes. Back in 2015, the Royals managed to hold their nerves and won a nail-biting thriller on the final delivery of the match.
The Daredevils (now the Capitals) posted a more-than-competitive score of 184 in their allotted 20 overs but, with seven wickets in hand, when the innings ended, Delhi would have surely hoped for some more.
Shreyas Iyer and JP Duminy scored 40 and 44, respectively, but it required some late-order surge from Yuvraj Singh and Angelo Mathews to take them past the 180-mark. Rajasthan couldn't quite get off to a brisk start and the pressure was on them at the end of the 10th over.
Rahane scored 47 off 39 deliveries but it was a quickfire 12-ball 20 from Karun Nair which gave RR the momentum they needed. The match seemed to be going out of their grasp when Deepak Hooda turned it around with a blistering 54 off just 25 deliveries.
He smashed 3 fours and 4 sixes to get his side close but couldn't get the job done all by himself. The final over from Tim Southee ebbed and flowed from one direction to the other before Saurabh Tiwary held his nerves to win it for RR on the final delivery.
#1 IPL 2012 (Match No. 39 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi) - Delhi Daredevils won by one run
This might just be the greatest game played between the two sides. There could be differences of opinion but this humdinger will surely rank as one of the best come-from-behind victories for any team in the competition's history.
The Daredevils posted 152 on the board after Virender Sehwag won the toss and opted to bat. The captain came out with a clear frame of mind like he did for the majority of his career. He thrashed the Rajasthan bowlers in the powerplay and went on to score a 39-ball 63 which was instrumental in taking DD over the 150-run mark.
The death overs proved to be decisive for Rajasthan as Ross Taylor got himself in a rut and couldn't quite find the boundaries. The score of 152 started looking very small once the RR openers Rahul Dravid and Ajinkya Rahane set their foot out in the middle.
The duo shared a 99-run stand but the scoring rate was a concern. When the stand was broken in the 14th over, Rajasthan had a plethora of stars in the middle-order to take them over the line.
However, some tight bowling by Morne Morkel and Umesh Yadav didn't allow Rajasthan to get the required runs. With 12 needed off the final over, Rahane smashed a six off Umesh Yadav but it wasn't enough to overhaul the target.