Delhi Capitals (DC) came up with a remarkable performance to tame former champions Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Qualifier 2 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 playoffs, at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. As they registered a 17-run win, they booked their first-ever spot in the final, where they face defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI), on Tuesday.
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Match summary: Winning the toss, DC skipper Shreyas Iyer opted to bat first, as the decision was spot on. The openers, Shikhar Dhawan (78) and Marcus Stoinis (38) contributed to a strong opening stand, followed by Shimron Hetmyer's unbeaten 42, as DC posted a challenging total of 1893. In reply, SRH lacked partnerships. Although Kane Williamson (67) and Abdul Samad (33) did try to push in, the DC bowlers were too strong to handle, as they succumbed to a 17-run defeat.
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Following the match, Iyer was delighted with the result, as well as the team's performance, as he stated, "Best feeling ever and the 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. 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."
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DC gambled by dropping young opener Prithvi Shaw, who has been going through a rough patch of late, while promoting Marcus Stoinis as the same worked out pretty well. "Needed a rocket start. We thought if he (Stoinis) goes and plays maximum deliveries he can give us a good start," Iyer spoke on the same after the match.
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Speaking on opening the innings, Stoinis brought upon the fact that he had done so in the Big Bash League (BBL). "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," he said.
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"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. My thought process was to change my grips and see what I was getting out of the wicket and change my tactics with wide yorkers and slower balls," added Stoinis.
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Stonis also credited head coach Ricky Ponting, who inspired him to bat as an opener in the tie. "It just worked out. This is the responsibility I was given. Earlier, I batted at No.3, it didn't work out," Stoinis continued.
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Stoinis heaped praise on Indian opener Dhawan, who has been phenomenal with the bat this season, besides backing him to fire in the final as well. "He led the batting for us this year. Has a lot of energy, shares a lot of knowledge, proud of him . I hope he will get another big one in the final," concluded Stoinis.
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