Delhi Capitals registered a maiden victory in the a knockout match of the Indian Premier League, defeating SunRisers Hyderabad by two wickets in a nail-biting Eliminator match at Visakhapatnam on Wednesday. Prithvi Shaw top-scored for Delhi Capitals with 56 runs, while Rishabh Pant contributed with a quickfire knock of 49 runs as Delhi set up the Qualifier 2 encounter with defending champions Chennai Super Kings. Following the win, Delhi Capitals skipper Shreyas Iyer heaped praise on Prithvi Shaw and Rishabh Pant and called seasoned spinner Amit Mishra “exceptional”.
“I can’t express my emotions. It felt like I have been sitting and watching for years when it came to the last two years. I could see the happiness on everyone’s faces. Hoping for another one against Chennai. Looking forward to the next game,” Iyer said at the post-match presentation.
Chasing a target of 163, Delhi Capitals, who had lost the way after a blazing start, were brought to cusp of victory by young Pant, who smashed 49 off 21 balls with five sixes as West Indies’ Paul finished it off the penultimate ball of the innings with a boundary off Khaleel Ahmed.
“I personally feel you can’t really control them (on Pant and Prithvi). When you stop a batsman like Pant or Prithvi, it hampers their mind and their flow. It was good that both of them came good,” the Delhi skipper added.
Delhi Capital now face CSK in the second Qualifier, at the same venue on Friday, in their bid to make it to the maiden IPL final against Mumbai Indians.
