Axar, Ashutosh, Starc script DC's great escape, playoffs hopes alive

DC beat RR by 5 wickets at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi. RR: 193/8 → DC: 197/5 in 19.2 overs. Impact: DC move to 7th with 12 points from 13 games, keep playoff hopes alive. RR drop to 6th, playoff push dented. Delhi Capitals (DC) kept their slim hopes of making the playoffs alive by beating Rajasthan Royals (RR) by five wickets at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Chasing 194, they were led by half-centuries from Abishek Porel and KL Rahul. While they slowed down in the middle overs, Axar Patel and Ashutosh Sharma took them home with four balls to spare. 3 wickets in 4 balls in 15th over to halt RR. Key wickets: Riyan Parag 51, Dasun Shanaka, Donovan Ferreira. Quote Axar Patel: Lauded "youngster" Starc for helping team fight back in last 6 overs. Support: Lungi Ngidi 2/24, Madhav Tiwari 2/27. Yashasvi Jaiswal got RR going by hitting Starc for three fours in the opening over. From the other end, Sooryavanshi opened his account with a first-ball six off Ngidi. Ngidi did bounce back by having Jaiswal caught at short third with a slower ball, but there was no stopping Sooryavanshi. Living dangerously, he hit debutant offspinner T Vijay for three fours and a six in the fifth over. Dhruv Jurel joined the festivities by hitting Mukesh Kumar for 4, 6, 4 off successive balls in the sixth over as RR ended the powerplay on 75 for 1. Ashutosh Sharma: 18_ off 5 – The Finisher 1 four, 2 sixes – SR 360. Hit winning six with 4 balls left. Capitalized on RR's slow over-rate penalty: Only 4 fielders outside circle in final over. Sooryavanshi was eventually caught at long-on off Tiwari but Parag ensured the momentum wasn't lost. After hitting Axar for two sixes in three balls, he went 6, 4, 6, 6 against Mukesh in a 23-run 12th over, after which RR were 140 for 2. Soon after, Parag reached his ninth IPL fifty. Coming off just 23 balls, it was his fastest. DC: 12 points, 6 wins in 13. Must win final game + other results. RR: 6th straight loss after 6-0 start. Hopes “hurt badly”. RCB: First team to qualify same day with win over PBKS. Jofra Archer could have had another first-over wicket when Rahul, yet to open his account, flicked him to short fine leg. But Yash Raj Punja dropped an easy catch. After that, Rahul and Porel picked up regular boundaries, with Porel leading the way. The pair took the side to 72 for no loss after six overs. This was DC's best powerplay of the season, bettering their 70 for no loss in the reverse fixture. Archer pegged DC back in the 17th over, conceding only eight and dismissing Tristan Stubbs. It left them needing 35 from three overs. With two left-hand batters - Axar and David Miller - in the middle, Parag went with Ferreira's offspin over Shanaka's military medium. The move backfired as Axar and Miller hit a six each in a 16-run over. Brijesh gave RR some hope by removing Miller with the first ball of the 19th but Ashutosh heaved the second ball he faced over deep midwicket for a six. With seven needed from the final over, Ashutosh hit a four and a six to finish the game.