Xtra Time Web Desk: Delhi Capitals’ campaign in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 is struggling as they lost their fifth consecutive match, this time against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by 23 runs at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore on Saturday, April 15. Chasing a target of 175, DC lost three early wickets, including Prithvi Shaw for a duck due to Anuj Rawat’s direct hit. David Warner was looking good with four fours, but debutant Vijaykumar Vyshak dismissed him, adding to DC’s woes. After the powerplay, DC found themselves at 32 for 4 in six overs, with a required rate of over 10.
DC lost half their side with Harshal Patel taking the wicket of Abhishek Porel. Axar Patel threatened briefly with 21 runs before Vyshak accounted for his wicket. Manish Pandey tried to accelerate with a half-century off 37 balls, but fell to Hasaranga’s googly on the next delivery. DC’s required run-rate kept climbing, and they finished with 151 for 9 in 20 overs, falling short of the target.
Earlier, RCB had put up a decent score of 174 for 6. Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis had a 42-run opening partnership in 4.4 overs. Kohli scored 50 runs before Lalit Yadav took his wicket. Du Plessis, Mahipal Lomror, and Glenn Maxwell contributed in their 20s. However, RCB slumped from 117 for 2 to 132 for 6 in just 11 balls. Shahbaz Ahmed and Anuj Rawat’s unbeaten 42-run partnership took RCB past 170 runs.
Despite some decent death bowling by DC, their batting could not handle the pressure, and RCB moved up to the seventh spot in the points table, while DC languished at the bottom. Mustafizur Rahman was the only DC bowler who leaked runs, while others had a decent day in the office.