END OF OVER:20 | 9 Runs 1 Wkt | DC: 133/7 | RR: 6.65
- Tristan Stubbs41 (36b)
- Mitchell Starc1 (1b)
- Eshan Malinga4-0-28-1
- Harshal Patel4-0-36-1
11:20pm That will be all from us, folks. A bit of a damp squib in the end (literally), but a shoutout to the fans at the stadium who braved the rain, despite knowing there was only a slight possibility of play resuming. We hope you enjoyed our coverage, and we hope to have your company for more IPL action tomorrow. Until then, from Ranjith and myself (Shashwat), this is goodbye. Take care, folks!
Jigar: "SRH can't seem to catch a break. When they finally put up a complete bowling performance, rain washed it all away (literally)."
11:11pm Bad news, folks. The captains gather around the two umpires and the umpires deliver their verdict. Rain has won tonight, and this game has officially been abandoned. The super-sopper gave it a rattle, and the ground staff tried all they could in this short space of time, but that heavy downpour was just too heavy in the end. A point apiece for the Capitals and SRH, which could feel like a point gained for the Capitals. But that also means SRH are now officially out of contention, and they are now the third team to be eliminated from the playoff race.
11:05pm The two on-field umpires and the fourth umpire are trying to assess how soft it is under foot on the grassy, non-covered patches, and they are in discussion with the ground staff. The super-sopper, irrespective, has to do over-time if we are to get a game.
Vkumar: "Have the covers been removed?" -- They are being peeled off one after the other, but while doing so, some of the water is seeping onto the grass, solely because water had gotten accumulated on the covers.
10:55pm For all those asking, SRH's target, if this turns out to be a five-over chase, will be 42.
10:41pm There is water on the covers too, and that might need drying as well. The promptness of the ground staff and the general vibe, though, suggests there will be a real effort to get a game going. As for the puddles, those are mostly near the edge of the boundary and one of those, at the moment, resembles a mini-pond.
10:34pm Good news, folks. Looks like the rain has stopped. All eyes now on the mop-up operation. Just a heads-up, though, there are a fair few puddles the ground staff will have to navigate through. But two super soppers have arrived on the field as I type this, and that indicates the ground staff are going to give this a proper go. Shane Watson, on broadcast, reckons the ground staff will need about an hour to get the ground ready. Do the math, and this game could actually be on!
10:30pm The crowd is still up and about, and the rain has not dampened their spirits. Not yet at least.
DM: "I stay 0.5KM away from stadium. Rain has stopped completely. What's word now from the ground please?" -- Still raining, unfortunately...
10:12pm Just a slight tweak to the earlier cut-off timings. We have received word that the latest starting time for a five-over chase is 11:42pm.
10:10pm Tanay Shah: "How much time would It take to get rid of the rain once it stops?" -- No word on that yet. But there are two issues here. The first is that it is still raining. The second is that the ground has taken quite a beating.
10pm Yes, it is still raining. Maybe not as heavily, but steadily.
9:50pm The latest from the venue is that it is still teeming down. The crowd, whenever the camera pans to them, are waving their hands around but the ground looks an absolute mess, with small ponds already forming on the patches where there are no covers. This looks a litte bleak, I am afraid...
Kunal: "If this match is washed out, SRH shall be out of the play offs race , right?" -- Yes, they will be officially eliminated.
Sharath: "Looking at how things have gone, this time 18 points may not be enough. Last time, 14 was enough though" -- Reckon that is down to two or three teams really struggling this season to muster points, and no one team tearing away at the top. Last season, KKR got to 20, which included two wash-outs.
Subhayan: "Which are the teams supposed to feel disappointed if this match is washed out ?" -- Not sure if there is a right answer to this. But SRH would be fancying their chances in this chase, and PBKS and KKR will have another playoff competitor on odd points, with the rest also having to figure out how that extra DC point will affect them.
9:35pm The people who were seated in the front rows of the ground-level stands have moved backwards to take cover - that is how intense this downpour has become. The covers have been spread across the majority of the playing area but there are still a few uncovered areas, which, at the moment, are taking a bit of a pounding. Well, it is absolutely bucketing down now.
9:30pm We could have gotten going by now, but the current update from Hyderabad is that it is still raining and raining quite heavily at that, with the covers firmly in place. So, we wait...
9:18pm An innings that really went nowhere, apart from a little patch towards the end when Ashutosh and Stubbs joined forces. The former, coming in as DC's Impact Player, managed 41 off 26, with the latter remaining unbeaten on that very score, although his knock took ten balls more. That has given DC something to bowl at, but early indications are that they are short.
Now, onto SRH, who called the shots almost for the entirety of that innings. Cummins set the ball rolling with an incredible opening spell, which yielded three wickets. Unadkat was not shabby either at the other end, with Harshal also helping himself to a wicket inside the powerplay. Ansari was a touch more expensive but the damage SRH did early in the piece means they now have a very gettable total in front of them. They, however, might have to wait a bit before getting their chase underway because the drizzle has gotten slightly heavier, with the covers coming on as well. We will be back in a short while to bring you all the updates.
Jaydev Unadkat: (On the pitch and his plans early on) That was the plan. Looking at how the pitch was playing, how the first over went, we knew hitting the deck (was the plan). The basic plan was the same to hit the deck and varying the pace, which is also the strength of a lot of our bowlers. Getting those wickets at crucial times was important and it helped us stop runs as well. From what I saw at the end, it did get better. At the start, it looked like it was stopping, and these little drops of water (with the drizzle now) also could help. (On going around the wicket to KL Rahul) I think as a bowler, we got to have some sort of weapon in your armoury and one of those is changing the angle. I have bowled to him in the past, around the wicket and over the wicket, and I do feel I have a little more chance from around the wicket. You need to have certain changes and changing the angle is one of those.
Right. One ball left. Can Stubbs finish with a boundary?
Starc joins Stubbs. Two legal balls left in the innings. Around the wicket
AR Sharma c Manohar b Malinga 41 (35m 26b 2x4 3x6) SR: 157.69
Malinga to bowl the last over. Can DC get up to 140?
END OF OVER:19 | 9 Runs | DC: 124/6 | RR: 6.52
- Tristan Stubbs36 (34b)
- Ashutosh Sharma38 (23b)
- Harshal Patel4-0-36-1
- Eshan Malinga3-0-19-0
Santhosh: "What are the odds Cummins getting a wicket first ball in his last over?" -- Zero, I'd say. Because he has already bowled out...
Harshal to bowl the 19th
END OF OVER:18 | 10 Runs | DC: 115/6 | RR: 6.38
- Tristan Stubbs35 (32b)
- Ashutosh Sharma31 (19b)
- Eshan Malinga3-0-19-0
- Harshal Patel3-0-28-1
Amit: "I am so happy for Stubbs. He has grown leaps and bounds in this tournament. Winning from tough situations and leading his team out of trouble tonight. Augurs well for South Africa." -- Well, DC have not won this game yet, though...
This partnership is already worth 43, and has DC believing a 140-145 score could be on the cards. That may not sound like a big total, but it will give them something to bowl at. Can DC pile further pressure on Malinga?
END OF OVER:17 | 12 Runs | DC: 105/6 | RR: 6.17
- Ashutosh Sharma30 (17b)
- Tristan Stubbs26 (28b)
- Harshal Patel3-0-28-1
- Pat Cummins4-0-19-3