Delhi notches crucial 20-run victory over Rajasthan in push for IPL playoffs
NEW DELHI (AP) — Australia’s young Twenty20 batting sensation Jake Fraser-McGurk scored a whirlwind half-century as Delhi Capitals notched a crucial 20-run win over Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League on Tuesday.
The 22-year-old Fraser-McGurk, left out of Australia’s T20 World Cup squad, gave perfect momentum upfront with a 20-ball 50 as Delhi made a challenging 221-8 after Rajasthan won the toss and elected to field at a venue where all four previous games this season were won by teams batting first.
Captain Sanju Samson kept Rajasthan in the hunt with a blistering 86 off 46 balls with six sixes and eight boundaries but his controversial dismissal in the 16th over saw the visitors finishing at 201-8 for its third loss this season.
Rajasthan has 16 points and stayed at No. 2 on net run-rate behind table-topper Kolkata Knight Riders. Delhi with 12 points is tied with three other teams — Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Lucknow Super Giants — as race for the playoffs gets tight.
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Samson was in sight to seal Rajasthan’s playoff spot before Shai Hope plucked a splendid catch on the edge of the boundary at long-on. Samson exchanged words with on-field umpires after he was declared out by television umpire Michael Gough as replays from one angle suggested Hope might have touched the boundary line.
Thereafter, the wheels came off from Rajasthan’s run-chase and it lost five wickets for 39 runs as left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav (2-25) struck twice in one over and sealed the game for home team.
Earlier, Fraser-McGurk smashed fast bowler Avesh Khan for 28 runs in one over of power play and raced to his half-century off 19 balls before he missed out Ravichandran Ashwin’s (3-24) full toss and was caught in the covers in the fifth over.
Left-handed Abishek Porel kept the momentum going by smacking 65 off 36 balls but Ashwin stemmed the flow of runs in the middle overs. Ashwin got the key wicket of Porel in the 13th over, but Tristan Stubbs provided the late flurry with a 20-ball knock of 41 as the South African countercharged against Yuzvendra Chahal (1-48) and Trent Boult (1-48) in the death overs.
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