Delhi Capitals (DC) were back to winning ways in the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 with a good performance at the Bharat Ratna Shree Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow. The visitors beat the hosts Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by six wickets to clinch their second victory in the tournament this year. 

LSG’s batting innings was one of two halves. The first half witnessed the DC bowlers making a strong comeback and stamping their authority on the match. The next half saw LSG making a strong recovery, with the lower order ensuring their bowlers had something to defend. 

Quinton de Kock and KL Rahul got off to an aggressive start in the powerplay and were doing well to set the tone for the innings. De Kock sped away to 19 off 13 balls before Khaleel Ahmed dismissed him leg-before. Khaleel struck again for DC when he sent back Devdutt Padikkal two overs later, trapping him leg-before. 

LSG captain Rahul looked in good touch from the outset and maintained his attacking tempo through that phase. A shot that stood out was a classy six over cover. He was rebuilding the LSG innings with Marcus Stoinis when DC introduced Kuldeep Yadav in the eighth over. And he made a significant impact.

𝙆𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙮! 💥

MAXIMUM result for the #LSG captain KL Rahul 👌👌

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To start off, Kuldeep induced the outside edge off Stoinis’s bat, which went towards point for an easy catch. The dangerous Nicholas Pooran walked out and was castled first ball via a beautiful wrong'un from Kuldeep. LSG slumped to 66 for four. This forced them to introduce Deepak Hooda as the Impact Player, replacing de Kock. 

𝗪𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛 𝗢𝗡 𝗟𝗢𝗢𝗣! 🔄 😍

Kuldeep Yadav straight away unveiling his magic!👌👌

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For LSG, things only got tougher. Kuldeep dismissed Rahul (39 off 22 balls) as he attempted to cut, but found the under-edge to the wicketkeeper. Hooda and Krunal Pandya soon followed as LSG were reduced to 94 for seven in 13 overs. 

Ayush Badoni then held the innings together and found support in Arshad Khan. Badoni began working the strike over before launching himself in the slogovers. The right-hander used all his power to pick five fours and one massive six as LSG made a great recovery. At the other end, Arshad held his own for an unbeaten 20. Badoni’s efforts ensured LSG got to 167 and he remained unbeaten on 55 – his first fifty this year. Considering what had happened during LSG’s game against Gujarat Titans (GT), they would have been confident in their ability to defend this total. 

A crucial 5️⃣0️⃣-run partnership 🙌

Ayush Badoni & Arshad Khan have powered #LSG to a competitive total!

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DC’s batters were confident to begin with as Prithvi Shaw made a positive start to the run-chase. David Warner though was dismissed for eight in an attempt to scoop the ball, which ricocheted off his body and went on to the stumps. Yash Thakur gave his team the first breakthrough. 

Dragged 🔛

As unfortunate as it gets for #DC opener David Warner as Yash Thakur strikes ⚡️⚡️

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That brought Jake Fraser-McGurk to the crease. The young Aussie batter has made quite a name for himself in domestic cricket and recently made his international debut for his country. He also boasts of the record for the fastest century in senior men’s representative cricket overall – a 29-ball ton in a List A match. That reputation was on show in the second ball when he smashed a short one from Yash Thakur over mid-wicket for six. 

Shaw continued to bat aggressively as well, racing away to 32 off 22 balls with six eye-catching boundaries. A straight-drive for four truly showcased his class and ability as a batter. At the end of the seventh over, Shaw was dismissed as he hit one to Pooran off Ravi Bishnoi. 

Rishabh Pant walked in to join Fraser-McGurk and this partnership took the game away from LSG. The 77-run stand off 46 balls took the attack to the bowlers and rallied DC’s road to victory. Fraser-McGurk won numerous fans with an aggressive performance that thrilled the audience.

Maiden IPL FIFTY for Jake Fraser-McGurk on DEBUT!

Hat-trick of sixes in this thoroughly entertaining knock 💥💥💥

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The highlight of the innings was his approach against Pandya. Unfazed by the challenge of playing an experienced bowler who is known to keep it tight, Fraser-McGurk picked up three consecutive sixes, freeing his arms and flat-batting a couple. Such was the attack, that it prompted Pandya to bowl a bouncer – a rare sight from a spinner. 

Fraser-McGurk got to his fifty on his debut and raised his bat to the DC dugout – who were now close to victory. His knock featured two fours and five sixes. By the time he was dismissed, DC were 140 in the 15^th over and on the cusp of victory. 

At the other end, Pant did his job well as he constructed a 24-ball 41. While his innings was attacking and he maintained a good strike-rate, there was also dependability, with Fraser-McGurk playing a flamboyant knock at the other end. After that onslaught, it was quite easy for DC as they wrapped up the match with 11 balls to spare.