END OF OVER:20 | 6 Runs | RR: 160/6 | RR: 8.00
- Rassie van der Dussen12 (10b)
- Trent Boult3 (3b)
- Shardul Thakur4-0-27-0
- Anrich Nortje4-0-39-2
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Thanks, Matt. RR's finish might not have been ideal but they have a par score, it was one that Rishabh said he'd be happy chasing at the toss. DDP's boundaries helped propel the score in the middle overs, Ashwin's innings delayed the fear of the long-tail being exposed too early. Chetan Sakariya was the highlight among DC's bowlers. We'll find out if their restriction suffices and if the batters can chase this down. ----
Still plenty of comments rolling in about Ashwin's innings and RR's deployment of their batters. Ekanth will be here shortly to talk you through the run chase.
Akhil: "I really think that they should have played James Neesham instead on van der Dussen if they were looking for a hitter at the end"
Ashwin: "I am smelling a super over match today."
Arumugham GR: "Based on DC's pattern on match results, they should win this match. Although 160 is tricky target for them, hoping for a DC win"
Mitchell Marsh: "I thought the way we bowled was outstanding. We had to bowl into the wicket and we used the big side really well. Hopefully we can keep our season alive. I said 160 in the 16th over and we bowled really well - we executed well at the end there. We need to be nice and positive, use the big boundary and run hard. If we keep wickets in hand at the end then we're going to be right in the game."
Innings break: RR scrap their way to 160, with Ashwin's maiden IPL half-century their highest score but the deployment of their batters are the main talking point, with Samson, Parag and van der Dussen all coming in during the final five overs. Chetan Sakariya and Shardul Thakur were the standouts for DC with the ball... can they chase these down and secure a win which would keep them right in the hunt for a play-off spot?
Bharath: "Simple logic and you all are overthinking it. Obviously Ashwin did well in PP. After the PP, they might have assessed the batting conditions and decided to go ahead. Remember there were even strategic timeout. And Ashwin has already retired out. He didn't get retired out which shows that his innings is valued by RR based on their assesment of the pitch"
Shardul to finish things off.
Johann: "Ashwin did a great job. He struck at better than most of the top batters. Great decision to promote him, as he would happily retire out if he couldn't get it off the square."
Dhaval: "Ash was sent to maximize the batting resources. Ideally, he should have retired out by 9th or 10th over so the likes of Samson RVD and Parag gets maximum overs to unleash once Ash had set a platform. It's really a fine line tactically. No doubt Ashwin played well but his slowish innings resulted in quick wickets later on."
END OF OVER:19 | 8 Runs 1 Wkt | RR: 154/6 | RR: 8.10
- Rassie van der Dussen9 (5b)
- Trent Boult2 (2b)
- Anrich Nortje4-0-39-2
- Chetan Sakariya4-0-23-2
Boult at No. 8.
D Padikkal c sub (KL Nagarkoti) b Nortje 48 (55m 30b 6x4 2x6) SR: 160.00
END OF OVER:18 | 7 Runs 1 Wkt | RR: 146/5 | RR: 8.11
- Rassie van der Dussen3 (2b)
- Devdutt Padikkal48 (29b)
- Chetan Sakariya4-0-23-2
- Anrich Nortje3-0-31-1
RvdD walks in at No. 7 with 15 balls left in the innings.
R Parag c Powell b Sakariya 9 (11m 5b 0x4 1x6) SR: 180.00
Elsewhere, 21-year-old Nitu made her World Boxing Championship debut last night and made it memorable with a win over Mary Kom's old-time rival, 40-year-old Steluta Duta.
END OF OVER:17 | 14 Runs 1 Wkt | RR: 139/4 | RR: 8.17
- Devdutt Padikkal46 (27b)
- Riyan Parag8 (3b)
- Anrich Nortje3-0-31-1
- Shardul Thakur3-0-22-0
Sabarish: "I feel Ashwin's innings is being scrutinised too much just because he is a bowler. If a batsman had those same numbers, we wouldn't be saying this much for a strike rate of 133" -- Sabarish, you have accidentally stumbled upon the key question in this debate: did promoting Ashwin allow RR to maximise their batting resources? Nobody is questioning whether he played well himself; the question is whether they could have made a higher total with their specialist batters facing more balls