MATCH STORY
Follow UsRavichandran Ashwin had been having a wretched IPL 2024 season in terms of wickets. Before facing Delhi Capitals on Tuesday (May 7), the Rajasthan Royals off-spinner had managed only two wickets in nine games while going at an economy of 9 runs per over.
Against Delhi, however, Ashwin increased his tally to five in the wickets column. In fact, it was his spell that pulled DC from the prospects of a 240-250 total to 221.
Ashwin was brought into the attack in the fifth over, with DC’s score reading 59/0. 50 of these were scored by Jake Fraser-McGurk alone who was going berserk again. Ashwin, however, dismissed Fraser-McGurk off his first ball. It was a rank full toss which took the 21-year-old by surprise. Given how the Australian had bashed length balls and low tosses alike, the high full toss proved to be the perfect ball.
In his second over, the 10th of the innings, he had the better of Axar Patel, drawing curtains on a 42-run stand between Axar and Abishek Porel. In the 13th, he got Porel as well, thus accounting for three of RR’s first four wickets, including the scalps of both the DC openers who hit a half-century.
That way, every time had a partnership going or looked up the ante, Ashwin pushed them back with a wicket. Since 2016, this is only the fourth three-wicket haul for the off-spinner. Moreover, he conceded only 24 runs. Even in terms of economy, it is Ashwin’s best spell in this IPL. Amidst the carnage, he just kept things tight.
As a result, Delhi managed only 78 runs in overs 7 to 15, the same number as they scored in the powerplay despite having three fewer overs. While Yuzvendra Chahal has tapered off in the second half of the season, Ashwin is slowly stepping up at a crucial juncture for the Royals.
