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Delhi Capitals defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by seven runs in the Indian Premier League match in Hyderabad on Monday, April 24, 2023, night.
DC's batting order started disappointingly again, with Phil Salt getting out on the first ball. David Warner and Mitchell Marsh tried to build a partnership, but SRH's T Natarajan dismissed Marsh in the 5th over.
Later, Washington Sundar removed Warner and two other batsmen in one over, and DC slipped to 62 for five.
DC's showman Axar Patel then played a crucial role in stabilising the innings after his side lost five wickets within the first ten overs. He came to the crease when DC was struggling at 62-5, and he, along with Manish Pandey, took the team's score past the 100 run mark with their valuable partnership of 69 runs in 59 balls.
Axar admitted he wasn't expecting to come out to the crease when DC suddenly lost three wickets in the eighth over.
At the post-match presentation, he revealed, 'I was not aware of what was happening on the field. I had ordered a coffee, and I left it as it is when I came to know that three wickets fell in an over.'
Axar was very watchful initially, taking his time to settle in and not taking any unnecessary risks. He played the role of anchor while Pandey played the aggressor. But as the partnership progressed, Axar started to open up and played some attacking shots, hitting four boundaries in his run-a-ball knock of 34 runs.
His innings was cut short by Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the 18th over, but his contribution had already made a significant impact on the game.
His partnership with Pandey stabilised the DC innings and helped the team post a competitive 144 runs, which ultimately proved enough to defend against the SRH batting lineup.
Axar then removed Mayank Agarwal and Aiden Markram during the SRH innings. He deceived Agarwal in flight, only for him to hit it straight to Aman Khan in the 12th over.
In the 15th over, Axar had Aiden Markram chopping on on to leave the home side reeling at 86/5.
Both Axar wickets were timely. While Agarwal looked set for a half-century in a bid to keep SRH's hopes alive, Hyderabad needed Markram to get going.
For his 34 and 2/21 in four overs, Axar was deservedly the player of the match.
Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad are now level in the IPL points table.