Mitchell Starc, the Australian fast bowler for the Delhi Capitals, shared his thoughts after an intense match against the Rajasthan Royals. After securing the Player of the Match award, he expressed his surprise at the Rajasthan Royals’ choice of batters for the crucial Super Over. Starc, who had a standout performance in Delhi, was particularly effective, especially when facing left-handed batters, as he had the ability to swing the ball back into them.
During the match, Starc played a key role in pushing Delhi towards victory. At one point, when Rajasthan needed 31 runs from 18 balls, he stepped up big time, only allowing eight runs during his 18th over and taking out Nitish Rana with a perfectly bowled yorker. After the match, he was questioned about Rajasthan’s decision to send in two left-hand batsmen during the Super Over. Starc remarked that he was somewhat surprised considering his style of bowling might have been tricky for lefties, especially with the ball moving back into them.
𝙉𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙨. 𝘿𝙧𝙖𝙢𝙖. 𝙀𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨! 😉
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 17, 2025
A quick morning catch-up on that late-night Super-Over nail-biter! 🙌#TATAIPL | #DCvRR | @DelhiCapitals pic.twitter.com/QeKsfPmCyk
He acknowledged a slight slip-up, referencing a no-ball he bowled that could have changed things around, but he felt confident about the batting lineup they had, saying they were still in a good position to chase down the runs. Starc, who ended up with impressive figures of one wicket for 36 runs in his four overs, managed to keep his cool in the tense final over of regulation play, defending nine runs when it seemed like Rajasthan was about to claim the win.
When it got to the Super Over, Starc once again impressed. He limited Rajasthan to just 11 runs, allowing only a couple of boundaries. His efforts were complemented by two sharp run-outs that added to the pressure on the Royals. On the batting front, KL Rahul and Tristan Stubbs managed to stay calm under pressure, hitting a boundary and a six that finally led Delhi to victory, marking their first win at the Arun Jaitley Stadium this season.
As for the match itself, Rajasthan was initially cruising thanks to Yashasvi Jaiswal, who scored 51 runs off 37 deliveries, and the homegrown talent Nitish Rana, who also made 51 runs but off just 28 balls. However, Delhi’s bowlers turned things around with an impressive late burst, ending with the teams tied at 188/4 after a nail-biting finish.
Delhi had set a competitive total of 188 runs, powered by a calm innings from Abishek Porel, who scored 49 runs, alongside some explosive late hitting by captain Axar Patel (34 off 14 balls) and Stubbs, who was not out at 34 off 18. Delhi was on a mission to reignite their campaign, and as Jaiswal opened the batting for Rajasthan, he came out swinging, hitting two sixes off Mukesh Kumar and putting Starc under pressure with two fours and a massive hit over the boundary.
Now, as they move on, the Capitals are set to face off against the Gujarat Titans on Saturday, April 19, in Ahmedabad, and the team will surely aim to carry this momentum forward.
