IPL 2020 Playoffs: Delhi Capitals defeat Sunrisers Hyderabad in high-scoring encounter to qualify for their first-ever IPL final

Delhi Capitals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad – Match Report

Delhi Capitals (DC) defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by 17 runs in a high-scoring thriller in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The former will now face Mumbai Indians (MI) in the IPL final.

Earlier, DC won the toss and opted to bat first much to the surprise of many. They also decided to change their batting order by sending in Marcus Stoinis as opener along with Shikhar Dhawan. Stoinis delivered by scoring a quick-fire 38. Dhawan then went on to score a big innings as he made a 50-ball 78. Shimron Hetmyer who returned to the playing XI also repaid his faith by scoring 42 runs off 22 balls.

In the chase, SRH lost openers David Warner and Priyam Garg early. Manish Pandey followed the duo as well. But Kane Williamson kept his side alive with a wonderfully orchestrated innings. However, he fell off Marcus Stoinis’ bowling before he could take his side home. Abdul Samad kept SRH’s hopes alive with some big blows but following his wicket, DC came out on top. This will be DC’s first appearance in an IPL final.

The final promises to be a cracker of a contest. MI will obviously be favorites because of their form and 3-0 head-to-head record against DC this year, but all that will be thrown out of the window. All that will matter is who comes out on top on the day.

IPL 2020 LIVE Updates: Delhi Capitals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad

That is the end of our live coverage for today. The summit clash between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals awaits us. Do join us for that on the 10th of November.

Marcus Stoinis, the Man of the Match: Have done it in the BBL for a couple of seasons (opening the batting) so it was nice to get an opportunity. Never know what it’s going to be like early. There was swing early on. So had a bit of a look at it before having a crack. Have played quite a bit of IPL, but this is my first final. It’s been hard with quarantine but a bit of silverware is good motivation. MI are a very good team. Have played consistently. But they’re due an off game. Our best cricket should be good enough to win. Was a really nice wicket.

Shreyas Iyer: Best feeling ever. Journey has been a rollercoaster. End of the day we stuck together as a family. Very happy with the effort every individual has put in. Has taught me many things. Lot of responsibility comes with being a captain. But have been getting support from coaches and support staff. On top of that the team has been so special. Really fortunate to have such an amazing team. The emotions keep going high and low, so you can’t have a same set of routines. Have to keep chopping and changing. Hoping that in the next game as well, against MI the biggest team, we’re able to play freely. Were going at 10rpo, but we know Rashid can be lethal in the middle. Plan was to not give him wickets. Were lacking with the opening partnership. Needed a rocket start, We thought if he goes and plays maximum deliveries he can give us a good start.

David Warner: First and foremost, no one gave us a chance at the start. Mumbai has a great team, Delhi as well, and RCB, but I’m proud to be where we are today. Natarajan is a find of this IPL, and he’s been outstanding. Rashid has been amazing, and so has Manish Pandey at No. 3. From an all-round perspective, it’s been great. I’d like to thank all our supporters at home. The main thing is attitude in the field. You can’t win if you don’t take catches, so that, we’ll have to do much better next time – that’s what’s let us down in this tournament – the attitude on the field. Key players like Saha and Bhuvi has been difficult, but the rest of them have been excellent in their roles to get us where we have gotten today. The fans are so loyal, I saw that photo of a bridge being lit up today. Hyderabad is our second home, and the franchise owners are like a family. Hopefully after this we can go and play the IPL in India next year and put up a better show.

Mumbai Indians now await the Delhi Capitals in the final in Dubai. DC have lost thrice to MI this season but all that matters is the fourth and final game. The entire campaign will hinge on that crucial encounter. And both teams will be ready!

Sunrisers Hyderabad can hold their head high though. They came close to pulling off a stunning win. Kane Williamson was excellent yet again. Abdul Samad’s hitting was a big positive to take to next season. Rashid was amazing as well like he always is. But on the day, DC were just about the better side. They have qualified for the IPL final for the first time ever in their history. That is some achievement!

Phew! That was a game that had everything. A thrilling high-scoring encounter for the penultimate match of the season. DC were clear with their plans. They won the toss and chose to bat unlike what was expected. They opened with Stoinis and he gave them a great start. They chose Hetmyer for this encounter and the West Indian delivered with some crucial shots towards the end. Stoinis then came back to pick three wickets with the ball as well. Rabada was brilliant towards the end as he picked up four wickets.

20th Over: Nortje to finish. Sandeep is giving room with hopes of slashing it for a boundary but just can’t do so. That’s it! Delhi Capitals win by 17 runs.

19th Over: Rabada for his last. SIX! Abdul Samad has swatted a full-toss for a huge six! Game is still very much on!
Wicket! – Samad is gone and with that SRH’s hopes. Samad holes out a full delivery to long-off. Keemo Paul, the substitute fielder holds on to a good catch.
Sreevats Goswami is the new batsman.
Wicket! – Rashid Khan has holed out to long-on as well. That’s surely the end of SRH’s fight. They gave it their all but just about fell short.
Wicket! – Goswami has hit it straight to the fielder as well. A short ball and he has hit that straight to deep mid-wicket. That’s 3 wickets in 3 balls for Rabada but there was a wide in between the deliveries.

18th Over: Ashwin now. Six off the third ball! Rashid Khan has heaved one and cleared the long-on fence! He follows that up with another four! Wow! What a game we are having! Rashid can bat. DC must know that. They do know that. Tense faces in the dugout. 30 needed from 2 overs now!

17th Over: Stoinis in for his third over. Shreyas Iyer has injured his left shoulder here. 47 runs now required from 21 balls. Williamson then opens the face of the bat to perfectly place a ball in the gaps.
Wicket! – Marcus Stoinis has all but won DC the match! A wide ball outside off and Williamson tries to hit it away for a six but the sliced drive finds Kagiso Rabada at deep cover. That should be the game. Surely.
Rashid Khan is the new man.

Time-out! Crucial one. Just four overs to go. 51 required. We’re in for another thriller. Williamson is obviously the key but Samad has shown that he can hit the big shots. There is still Sreevats Goswami to come. But SRH will probably not go for him. It should be Rashid Khan with his pinch-hitting abilities. Big 4 overs in the tournament coming up!

16th Over: Ashwin for a crucial over. Ashwin is bowling every bowl outside off and Williamson has hit the third ball for a four. 139/4 in 16.

15th Over: Nortje for his third. And wow! Abdul Samad slaps the second ball for a huge six. A shot and a half! A bouncer and he has pulled that away. And he has slashed the second ball for a four! Samad can hit these shots too! And that’s another four! Wow! Samad is on fire! He’s on 18 off 7. 129/4 in 15. Game on.

14th Over: Axar in for his last over. Fifty up for Williamson. He will know the job is not even half done. He will have to play a blinder. Williamson has nicked one for a four. 113/4

13th Over: Stoinis is back and Williamson pummels him for yet another six! Williamson is playing a gem here and he holds the key. His wicket will spell the end for SRH. 104/4

12th Over: Axar Patel now. And Williamson hits it straight over the bowler’s head for a six!
Wicket! – Holder holes out to deep mid-wicket. That was a bad shot. Not sure if that was a full swing or a chip. Either way, he is gone and that’s a huge blow to SRH.
Samad is the new batsman. Williamson hits another four! He’s waging a lone battle here. What a player he is! 95/4 in 12.

11th Over: Kagiso Rabada is back for his third! 4 dots off the first 4 balls. Williamson then lofts the fifth ball for a huge six! 83/3 in 11.

10th Over: Praveen Dubey to continue. Williamson comes down the track and whacks him for a big six over long-on! SRH need more of these. 75/3 in 10.

Strategic time-out now. SRH have a mountain to climb. They need 126 runs from 11 overs. And they don’t have a lot of batsmen capable of hitting the big shots. It’s all looking bleak now from SRH. But they will have to go in with a nothing to lose attitude and start hitting those big shots to bring themselves back into the game. The next few overs will be crucial in deciding whether this is a close game or a one-sided affair.

9th Over: Axar again. Williamson paddles him for a four off the first ball. There was no fine-leg. Holder then scoops a ball and the ball hits the underside of his bat to go to mid-on! 64/3 in 9 overs.

8th Over: Praveen Dubey now. SRH playing very defensively. They’ll have to move on quickly and go for the big shots soon. The required run-rate is getting stiffer by the minute. Just 3 off this over as well.

7th Over: Axar Patel is introduced into the attack. Just three runs off the over. Tight lines and lengths. Quick over as well. 52/3 in 7.

6th Over: Holder is the new man in. Nortje to bowl. A tidy over till the first four balls. But Holder hits the fifth ball for a four. 49/3 at the end of the Powerplay.

5th Over: Stoinis is into the attack. Pandey helps a short ball to the square leg fence for an effortless four.
Wicket! – Stoinis has beaten Garg all ends up with a stunning ball! Stoinis is pumped. SRH losing the plot here.
Kane Williamson is the new man in.
Wicket! – Stoinis removes Manish Pandey as well! Bad, bad shot and Pandey has holed out to mid-on. Just couldn’t get the connection and timing right.

4th Over: Rabada to continue. Pandey and Garg are looking dangerous here. There is still hope for SRH. 8 off that over. 36/1 in 4 overs.

3rd Over: Anrich Nortje to bowl. And he is welcomed into the attack with a classy straight lofted drive by Pandey. A big appeal for LBW against Garg. The ball was probably going above the stumps. No review taken. And off the next ball, Garg has pulled one over fine-leg for a big six! 28/1 in 3

2nd Over: Rabada to bowl.
Wicket! – Rabada has castled David Warner. What a huge wicket! Big, big moment in the match. SRH’s hopes have taken a huge blow here. Huge blow! It was a full length delivery and the ball hits his pads and ricochets on to the stumps. Sad faces among SRH.
Manish Pandey is the new man. Pandey opens his account with a boundary. 17/1

1st Over: Ashwin to begin. The first ball almost results in a wicket as Garg edges one to Hetmyer but it falls shorts. Garg has deposited the third ball over the leg-side for a huge six! Ashwin is erring with lines here. Two wides in the over. 12 off the over.

Second Innings: We are back for the chase! David Warner to open. Along with Priyam Garg! No Goswami! Interesting choice. Both sides have changed their opening combination.

190 is the target. Stiff by all means. SRH need their skipper to fire. If he doesn’t, it will be near impossible. DC will want the early wicket of Warner. They are favorites to win this now. But on a day and occasion like this, one can never tell. Back in 10 minutes for the chase!

So that has been a decent comeback by SRH. At one stage, 200 looked inevitable. But Sandeep and Natarajan were good at the death. DC’s choice of opening with Stoinis paid rich dividends earlier as the Australian and Dhawan made merry. After Rashid Khan castled Stoinis, Dhawan continued and made another big score. Hetmyer shone with some lusty blows towards the end. SRH could pick up just 3 wickets.

20th Over: Natarajan for the last over. Can he restrict DC to within 190? The DC batsmen are going for scoops anticipating yorkers and are unable to connect. Excellent bowling from Natarajan! No boundary off the last over! What an over! 189 is the score DC have managed.

19th Over: Sandeep now. And dropped off the first ball! Rashid Khan has dropped an absolute sitter! Dhawan survives.
Wicket! – Dhawan goes for a reverse-sweep but a full-toss completely eluded his bat. And Dhawan was almost walking before the umpire gave it out. And Hawkeye shows the impact to be outside!
Rishabh Pant is the new man in. 182/3 in 19

18th Over: It’s Holder. Hetmyer welcomes his fellow West Indian with a superb shot straight down the ground for a four. Dropped! Hetmyer sliced one to deep point but Nadeem misses a sitter and goes to the boundary! Dhawan then shuffles across and flicks it for another boundary! Runs coming in heaps for DC! Another four! What an over for DC! Huge over. 18 off it.

17th Over: Natarajan now. Huge six! Hetmyer pummels a bouncer over the deep point fielder for a stunning six! 13 off the over as SRH take brace after brace. 158/2 in 17

16th Over: Rashid Khan for his fourth. DC will look to play him out. They are doing exactly that. 5 singles off the first 5. Make that 6 in 6. 145/2 in 16

15th Over: Nadeem now. Ouch! Garg seems to have injured himself. He slipped on the ground and has hurt his ankle. Tossed up delivery and Hetmyer hits his first ball for a four! What a start! 11 from the over. Oh wait! The last ball is a no-ball. Free hit coming up! Just a single. 13 off the over.

14th Over: Holder now. No spin. Good start for Holder. Some tight lines and lengths to contain the runs. Dropped! Iyer opened up and tried to carve the offside field and Williamson was diving to his right. Would have been a stunner had he held on.
Wicket! – Iyer holes out to mid-off! A bad shot from Iyer off a bouncing ball and he can only hit it straight to Manish Pandey.
Who will it be? Rahane? Pant? No! It’s Hetmyer.

Strategic time-out now. DC will target 200 here. SRH will want wickets to stifle DC. An exciting 7 overs looms. Rashid Khan has an over left. When will he bowl? Sandeep has one as well. Holder and Natarajan will probably bowl in tandem in the last four overs. Could it be Rashid-Nadeem-Sandeep followed by Natarajan and Holder? Let’s wait and watch.

13th Over: Nadeem now having changed ends. SRH now looking to bowl quick and quiet overs. They are successful in doing so. No boundaries in the last three overs. And Iyer breaks the shackles with a boundary off the very next ball! Good flick to mid-wicket. 120/1 in 13.

12th Over: Natarajan is back for his second in hopes of picking up a wicket. No boundaries off that over. DC treading cautiously. 112/1 in 12.

11th Over: Rashid for his third. SRH need him to pick up another. DC are playing carefully against Rashid. No attacking shots. No risks. Just looking to play him out. 107/1 in 11.

10th Over: Nadeem now. Spinners in tandem. Nadeem changes fielders to the offside and bowl from over the wicket. But Dhawan stretches and smashes one over deep mid-wicket for a huge six. 100 comes up in 9.4 overs. 102/1 in 10.

9th Over: Rashid to continue.
Wicket! – Rashid castles Stoinis with a googly! What a delivery! What a player! Always delivers when called upon. Big moment in the game. Big, big moment. SRH are back in the game!
Shreyas Iyer is the new man in. Not Ajinkya Rahane.
Rashid is weaving his trademark magic here. Excellent over!

8th Over: T Natarajan now. DC now batting with freedom. They are however, cautious against Natarajan. After four quiet balls, Dhawan gets one to the mid-wicket fence for four. 9 off the over. 85/0

7th Over: Rashid as expected. He has been excellent against DC this year. 6 wickets while conceding just 21. DC must tread with caution here. Now then! An overthrow has gone for four! Rashid Khan gets the ball and throws it way past the keeper for a four! That’s 6 runs! 76/0

Strategic time-out has been taken by SRH. Boy, do they need it! The Powerplay couldn’t have gone better for DC. Their plans were clear. They won the toss, chose to bowl, opted to open with Stoinis and came out all guns blazing. Holder’s drop was a crucial point in the match. Could it hurt SRH dearly? It very well could. Rashid Khan holds the key now for SRH. SRH need wickets and they need it now.

6th Over: Nadeem comes into the attack and is welcomed with a huge six by Dhawan. The next ball is a four off high full-toss. And it’s a no ball! Free hit coming up! Good ball off the free hit from Nadeem. Just a single. 65/0 in the Powerplay!

5th Over: Sandeep for his third. Dhawan cracks one for a four off the third ball! DC are breathing fire! Problems for SRH now! He follows it up with another boundary. Misfield by T Nataraja at short fine-leg. SRH are worried now. They are under immense pressure. 50 partnership comes up. 50/0 in 5

4th Over: Holder again. Stoinis slams the first ball off Holder for a four through mid-wicket. That was travelling! Holder comes back with a superb seaming delivery that beats Stoinis’ willow. Stoinis cracks the third ball for another four. He means business today! The fourth ball is hit for a huge six! Wow! Stoinis is on fire! Another four! Holder is getting the treatment. 18 off the over! 39/0

3rd Over: Sandeep to continue. The keeper is up to the stumps for Dhawan and behind for Stoinis. Dropped! Dropped at short mid-on. The field was spot-on. Excellent tactics but Holder has put it down. Huge let-off. Stoinis punishes the bowler off the next ball by swatting the ball to the mid-wicket fence. Stoinis follows it up with another four through the leg-side. This time through square leg. Eventful over. 21/0

2nd Over: The in-form Holder to bowl. Shikhar Dhawan hits the first boundary of the day over point off the third ball. Cracking shot! Holder comes back with some tight lines and lengths. 11/0

1st Over: Sandeep to start. Interesting field for Stoinis. There is a short mid-on very near to the non-striker. There is swing and movement for Sandeep. Goswami is up to the stumps for Dhawan. There is terrific swing. Excellent first over. 3 off it.

First Innings: Surprise! Stoinis to open with Dhawan! Interesting choice! Stoinis was terrific as an opener in the BBL about 10 months ago.

About 5 minutes to go for the game to begin. The penultimate match of the IPL. Will we see a thriller? One-sided affair? Dull one? Exciting one? We’ll find out in 4 hours’ time.

15 minutes to go for the game to begin. DC are expected to open with Ajinkya Rahane and Shikhar Dhawan. There is also a case for Marcus Stoinis to do so. SRH will also in all probability open with Sreevats Goswami and David Warner. Is there a case for Kane Williamson to open with Goswami in the middle-order. Probably not.

Two changes for DC: Shimron Hetmyer and Praveen Dubey are in for Prithvi Shaw and Daniel Sams. Saha continues to stay on the sidelines. It will be Sreevats Goswami again. No changes for SRH.

Toss: Toss time! A bit of a surprise there! DC will bat first. Iyer gives three reasons for the decisions: They lost when chasing twice against SRH, that SRH looked vulnerable in the chase last game, and that the pitch looks good to bat on. Warner is happy to chase. That would have been his decision had SRH won the toss.

Just about 10 minutes to go for the toss. It should be interesting to see if both teams make changes. SRH will bring in Wriddhiman Saha if he is fit, in place of Sreevats Goswami. Other than that, they are unlikely to tinker much. DC on the other hand, have room for tinkering. Prithvi Shaw’s form has been a huge cause for concern. There is a case for bringing in Shimron Hetmyer in Shaw’s place and sacrifice Daniel Sams for Harshal Patel.

Hello and Welcome to the LIVE Updates of IPL 2020 Eliminator between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore, Get all LIVE Updates here.

IPL 2020 Qualifier 2, Preview: Delhi Capitals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad

Delhi Capitals (DC) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will lock horns for the second spot in the finals of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020. The two sides will be up against each other during the qualifier two on November 8 (Sunday). The Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi will host this game from 7:30 PM (IST) onwards. 

The winner of the DC-SRH clash will advance to the finals of IPL 2020 to face Mumbai Indians for the title. Interestingly, the Sunrisers emerged victorious during both the encounters between the two sides this season. 

Team preview

Delhi Capitals (DC)

Delhi Capitals played brilliant cricket during the first half of the tournament, registering seven wins in nine matches. Following this, the Delhi-based franchise could only manage to win a solitary game in their next six encounters. Meanwhile, they also lost a one-sided clash against Mumbai Indians in the qualifier one.

DC has several problems in front of them while going to this knockout game. One of the biggest concerns for them is their misfiring batting from the top-order. Delhi’s players need to put some runs on the board for their side in this all-important match.

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)

Sunrisers Hyderabad is coming to this game with positive momentum after registering consecutive victories in their last four matches. Moreover, they also clinched a nail-biting win over Royal Challengers Bangalore in the eliminator game.

SRH have a much balanced and an in-form playing XI than the Capitals. Moreover, their record against Delhi in this IPL edition gives them an upper hand in the penultimate game of the season. Wriddhiman Saha might come back for Sreevats Goswami if he has recovered from the injury.