IPL 2022 | DC vs RR | Marsh's all-round brilliance helps Delhi thump Royals

Rajasthan Royals' (RR) skipper Sanju Samson's tough luck with the toss continued in Match 58 of the Indian Premier League (IPL). But unlike most times, his team failed to compensate for it with a good performance as they succumbed to an eight-wicket defeat against Delhi Capitals on Wednesday evening at Dr DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

The Royals rode on brilliant knocks from Ravichandran Ashwin (50 off 38 deliveries) and Devdutt Padikkal (48 off 30 deliveries) to post 160/6 in 20 overs.

RR got off to a disastrous start as they lost in-form Jos Buttler for a paltry 7 off 11 deliveries in just the 3rd over of the innings. The Orange Cap holder fell to Chetan Sakariya following an attempt to flick the left-arm seamer off his legs.

Yashasvi Jaiswal also struggled to up the tempo, managing a run-a-ball 19 before perishing to Mitchell Marsh.

The move to promote Ashwin to number three worked wonders as the stylish batsman looked at complete ease on a surface where the likes of Buttler struggled.

Extra-cover drive on the up? Lofted drives? Glorious cuts? Sumptuous flicks? Upper-cut? Ashwin's knock had everything. The legendary off-spinner brought up his maiden IPL half-century with the help of 4 fours and a couple of sixes. 

He added 53 runs for the third wicket with Padikkal in six overs before perishing to Marsh.

However, Rajasthan did not get the final flourish as Samson (6 off 4) and Riyan Parag (9 off 5) fell cheaply, while Rassie van der Dussen could only manage 12 off 10 deliveries.

But, as it turned out, even if Rajasthan had got 20 more, it wouldn't have mattered given how Marsh (89 off 62 deliveries) and opener David Warner (52* off 41 deliveries) dominated their bowling attack to make a mockery of the run-chase.

They did get off to a dream start to the 161-run defense, as Trent Boult dismissed Srikar Bharat for a second-ball duck.

That proved to be the only thing to savour for the Rajasthan bowlers as Marsh and Warner joined hands to force their much-vaunted attack into complete submission.

Whether it was the spin of Yuzvendra Chahal and Ashwin or the pace of Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Sen, none was spared from the fury of Marsh, who smoked as many as seven sixes and five fours during his ruthless knock.

On the other hand, Warner was at his typical best, running hard between wickets and dissecting gaps.

The duo added 144 runs for the second wicket in 16.5 overs before Marsh finally perished to Chahal.

It made little difference, though, as skipper Rishabh Pant casually smashed two sixes in his 4-ball 13 to help his side romp to a much-needed eight-wicket win.

For his brilliant all-round performance, Mitch Marsh was adjudged the 'Player of the Match'. 

Brief Scores:

Rajasthan Royals 160/6 (20)

R Ashwin 50 (38), Devdutt Padikkal 48 (30)

Chetan Sakariya 2/23 (4), Mitchell Marsh 2/25 (3), Anrich Nortje 2/39 (4)

Delhi Capitals 161/2 (18.1)

Mitch Marsh 89 (62), David Warner 52* (41)

Trent Boult 1/32 (4), Yuzvendra Chahal 1/43 (4)

Delhi Capitals won by 8 wickets.