New Delhi, April 27 (IANS) Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s pace duo Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar ripped through Delhi Capitals’ batting through a devastating new-ball spell, as the hosts were bundled out for just 75 in Match 39 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Monday.

The pair combined for picking six wickets inside the first four overs, producing movement and bounce more reminiscent of a Test match than an IPL game. Outside edges flew, while batters were beaten repeatedly, as DC had no answers to counter Hazlewood (4-12) and Bhuvneshwar (3-5).

Impact Player Abishek Porel’s 30 off 33 was the lone bright spot in an otherwise dismal batting effort, as no other DC batter crossed 20 and fell like ninepins. With just 75 on the board, the contest now hinges only on how quickly RCB can chase down the target, their bowlers having already delivered a masterclass in dismantling an opposition.

Not many thought of mayhem coming DC’s way when Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s probing away-swinging delivery drew an edge off debutant Sahil Parakh, and trickled harmlessly to short third-man. But on the very next ball, Bhuvneshwar struck with lethal precision – a sharp, late-in-swinging yorker from over the wicket sneaked past Parakh’s blade and castled him for a two-ball duck.

Hazlewood raised the tempo of carnage with two huge blows in as many deliveries. A brutal short ball cramped KL Rahul for room on the pull, and the top edge settled into Jitesh Sharma’s safe gloves, while debutant Sameer Rizvi was enticed in chasing one around the off-stump, and the outside edge on an expansive drive was grabbed by the keeper.

Tristan Stubbs momentarily lifted DC’s spirits by clipping Hazlewood’s hat-trick ball for four. But the reprieve was fleeting as Bhuvneshwar, relentless and unerring, found Stubbs’ outside edge with another late swinging delivery and was safely pouched by first slip. He then extracted the outside edge of captain Axar Patel, with Jitesh taking another catch.

Hazlewood then completed DC’s misery by producing a sharp short ball that tangled Nitish Rana, and an ugly glove-edge was caught by gully, as DC were in absolute tatters at 9/6 inside four overs. Bhuvneshwar and Hazlewood became the first pair of bowlers in IPL history to each claim three wickets inside the powerplay in the same game, which underlined just how comprehensively they dismantled DC.

When the six-over phase ended, Delhi’s 13/6 became the new record for the lowest powerplay score in IPL history. Abishek Porel and David Miller then offered some resistance by plundering boundaries off Rasikh Salam Dar and Romario Shepherd to stage a brief recovery.

But the brief 35-run stand off 31 balls was broken by Rasikh, as Miller, attempting to heave across the line against a pacy short ball, toe-ended to a grateful Jitesh. Amid a feeble dust storm swirling around the ground, Kyle Jamieson pulled Shepherd handsomely over mid-wicket for six to take DC to their fifty in 10.2 overs and spare them from the additional ignominy of the lowest total in IPL history.

Even as Suyash Sharma troubled Porel, Jamieson’s defiance was ended by Krunal Pandya, who joined the wicket-taking party with a good length delivery that straightened after pitching on off-stump and trapped him plumb lbw. After Suyash castled Kuldeep Yadav with a ripping leg-break, Hazlewood ended DC’s misery by rattling Porel’s middle stump with a pin-perfect yorker.

Brief scores:

Delhi Capitals 75 all out in 16.3 overs (Abishek Porel 30, David Miller 19; Josh Hazlewood 4-12, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 3-5) against Royal Challengers Bengaluru

–IANS

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