DC vs RR: Porel, Axar guide Delhi to 188/5

Delhi Capitals (DC) scored 188/5 against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their IPL 2025 match in New Delhi on Wednesday night (April 16). Abishek Porel made 49 while skipper Axar Patel hit 13-all 34.

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If Porel and KL Rahul (38) laid a solid foundation with a 63-run stand, Axar's blistering knock, along with Tristan Stubbs’ (34 no off 18 balls) late surge, provided the final flourish in an innings where momentum swung like a pendulum between the two sides.

Not an easy pitch for batting

The surface at the Feroz Shah Kotla wasn’t the easiest to bat on, offering grip and turn for the spinners.

Sandeep Sharma (0/33) bowled beautifully through his spell, though he lost his rhythm in the final over, leaking four wides and a no-ball.

The pitch wasn't the easiest to bat on as it provided some grip and turn and Sandeep bowled beautifully, taking pace off his deliveries, barring the last over where he leaked 19 runs.

DC got off to a fiery start, with Jake Fraser-McGurk (9) cracking back-to-back boundaries off Jofra Archer (2/32) to set the tone.

Young Porel lit up the Feroz Shah Kotla early on, taking the second over by storm. He tore into Tushar Deshpande, smashing 23 runs, including four elegant boundaries.

But the highlight was a sublime flick over deep backward square for a maximum that had the crowd roaring.

Fraser-McGurk fails again

However, DC's momentum faltered as Fraser-McGurk's lean patch persisted. The Australian lofted a simple catch to Yashasvi Jaiswal at mid-off in the fourth over, gifting Rajasthan Royals a breakthrough.

Run outs came back to haunt Delhi again as a mix-up between Porel and the in-form Karun Nair (0) resulted in the latter's dismissal, abruptly halting the Capitals' early charge.

The Royals' bowlers tightened the noose during the middle overs, drying up the boundaries and building persistent pressure.

DC's strong finish

Yet, Porel found a steady ally in seasoned Rahul. The veteran batter brought a sense of calm amid storm, easing the pressure with two towering sixes — one launched down the ground off Deshpande in the 7th, and another elegantly lifted over long-off against Mahesh Theekshana in the 11th.

Just when the hosts looked like having rebuild their innings, Archer was brought back skipper Sanju Samson. And the English pacer struck gold, dismissing Rahul with a back-of-length delivery that found Shimron Hetmyer at deep midwicket.

The West Indian held on to a low catch, inches above the ground, swinging the momentum back in Rajasthan’s favour.

But DC skipper Axar, who hasn't had the best of tournaments exploded, smashing four boundaries and two maximums before Stubbs clean strikes helped Delhi finish strong.

(With agency inputs)