KL Rahul guides DC to 8-wicket win over LSG

A brilliant comeback with the ball in hand saw them restricting LSG to 159/6, before a dominant show with the bat helped them chase down the target with 13 balls to spare. DC retained the second spot on the points table courtesy of the win.

Mukesh Kumar's 4/33 spearheaded DC's bowling effort. Abishek Porel's 51(36) and KL Rahul's unbeaten 57(42) against his former team then sealed DC's sixth victory of the season, emphatically.

Asked to bat first by DC skipper Axar Patel after losing the toss, it was once again a case of sublimity at the top of the order from LSG.

Aiden Markram took the attack to Mitchell Starc and Mukesh Kumar early on. Marsh did not hold back for much longer and the duo brought up a fifty-run partnership inside the powerplay with LSG sitting strong at 51/0 after six overs.

Markram continued his merry run, bringing up a fifth 50+ score in six innings, before holing out to the deep later in the over for 52(33). Dushmantha Chameera bagged his maiden wicket in his first game of the season, and LSG were 87/1 at the halfway mark.

Nicholas Pooran got off the mark with two fours off his first two deliveries, and it seemed like LSG would put up another big score courtesy of their top-3. However, Starc returned to dismiss Pooran again this season as he chopped one back onto his stumps.

Mukesh then struck twice in the same over, first dismissing Abdul Samad before cleaning up Marsh (45 off 36) with a pinpoint accurate yorker to leave LSG stunned at 110/4 after 14 overs.

DC continued to keep the pressure high with the ball thereafter. However, a vital cameo of 36 from 21 deliveries by Ayush Badoni, helped by a dropped catch from Tristan Stubbs when Badoni was on three, carried LSG to 159/6 after 20 overs.

Mukesh picked up two more wickets after being hit for three fours in an eventful final over of the innings to end with impressive figures of 4/33.

Abishek Porel was at the heart of another positive start for DC. While Karun Nair walked back early for a quick 15(9) as Markram proved impactful with the ball as well, Porel and KL Rahul kept the momentum going to see DC through to 54/1 at the end of the powerplay.

Despite a brief squeeze applied by LSG, Rahul and Porel were unfazed, and they changed gears sooner rather than later to take the game away from LSG. Porel, who was unable to build on good starts in his last few knocks, made it count on this occasion, getting to his first fifty of the season off 33 deliveries.

Rahul upped the ante as well and, in the blink of an eye, DC's equation came down to 58 runs needed from 53 deliveries.

Markram turned partnership-breaker once again as Porel (51 off 36) holed out to deep mid-wicket. However, LSG's joy was short-lived as Axar joined Rahul to keep the runs flowing.

Axar smacked four sixes en route to 34*(20), while Rahul brought up his third fifty of the season before fittingly ending the game with a six, as DC marched to the target in 17.5 overs.

(With inputs from IPL website)