END OF OVER:
20 | 23 Runs | RCB: 171/5 | RR: 8.55

  • AB de Villiers75 (42b)
  • Daniel Sams3 (2b)
  • Marcus Stoinis1-0-23-0
  • Avesh Khan4-0-24-1

9.33pm Players on the field now. No reduction in overs. Sams has the ball, over the wicket to Shaw, slip in place.

9.25pm No improvement in conditions yet. The players are still in the dugout.

Atit: "Sandstorm in Ahmedabad? My hometown and can't remember when did this happen before" ---- There had been a dust storm and unseasonal rain in April 2019, it seems. In Gujarat and parts of Saurashtra. That one had been fatal, there was loss of life.

Prathap: "Would the sand from the storm dry up the dew to some extent ? " ---- Do not have a definitive answer for that Prathap.

AB de Villiers' 42-ball 75* has given RCB 171/5. Capitals need a big start now. Watch live on Disney+Hotstar (India only)

9.15pm There's a sandstorm at the ground right now. We're likely to have a slight delay. The batters are ready, but people can barely keep their eyes open right now. It's a furious wind.


Sahaj Pancholia: "I stay around 6-7 kms away from the stadium and we literally have to close every door and window at our house just to ensure our stuff doesn't get damaged. Hopefully things will get better in next 15-20 mins and we don't see rains (finger crossed)"

Nimesh: "Ahmedabad is my home town and let me tell you sand storm is not common here. But since we have a sand storm, can we please have an epic "desert storm" innings from Shaw or Pant please?"

Quickest to 5000 IPL runs in terms of balls faced:

1) AB de Villiers - 161 innings, 3288 balls
2) David Warner - 135 innings, 3554 balls
3) Suresh Raina - 173 innings, 3620 balls
4) Rohit Sharma - 188 innings, 3817 balls
5) Virat Kohli - 157 innings, 3827 balls
6) Shikhar Dhawan - 168 innings, 3956 balls


Hamza: "That is trademark AB de Villiers for you. Comes to the crease, understands the track, collects singles and then goes haywire at the death. Simply outrageous hitting that. Stoinis gets a taste of harsh hitting."

Ronak: "Can someone please go the DC mgmt and tell them to have a senior player in the playing 11 to take responsibility for helping Pant manage bowlers. One bad over in t20 can change games. How poor was that call from pant to bowl Stoinis at the end? "

Aravind: "Let's appreciate the critical contribution of Patidar in that partnership of 54 with ABD at at a decent run rate of 8 an over at a time when RCB would have looked very shaky had another quick wicket fallen. That set the foundation for the launch to 171"

Piyush Jaiswal: "The thing with a finisher like ABD is you can never say it's over till the last over is bowled. He can make up for a relatively slow start in a matter of mere 6 balls!"


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9.05pm Pant looks forlorn as Capitals walk off the pitch. That punt on Stoinis has taken away the edge they had on RCB between overs 16 and 19. I'm not wondering if AB was looking to minimise the risks so he could be on strike against Stoinis at the end. Whatever it was, it has worked out nicely. Once again for RCB, AB de Villiers has shown up. Went past 5,000 IPL runs in the process today. He's made 75 of the 111 they got after he came in at 60 for 3. A neat little innings from Patidar as well, who gave it away just as he looked to have sized up the pitch. for Delhi - it was a good bowling performance overall, barring Rabada and Stoinis there at the end. They'll be disappointed at conceding 171. Back soon for the chase.

19.6
2
Stoinis to de Villiers, 2 runs, full outside off, there in the slot for the straight drill over the bowler, but he's gone a little too hard at it and mistimed it. To the bowler's left and he manages to get two hands on it, without fully stopping it

Aj : "I don't know who thought it would be a good idea to bowl gentle medium pacers to AB De Villiers, but you should pay dearly for making that decision. "

19.5
6
Stoinis to de Villiers, SIX, shuffles and whips over cover this time! Another short one, wide outside off. Walks into it and hammers it on the up

mohit: "@John R let's rephrase it then, Can Stoinis do a Harshal."

19.4
6
Stoinis to de Villiers, SIX, shuffles across and whips it over short fine! This is tentative and meek from Stoinis, and who can blame him? This is dropped short, an attempted slower short one. Sits up and is belted with a hook, onto the roof of his team's dugout
19.3
0
Stoinis to de Villiers, no run, left alone but that is pretty safely inside the tramline. It's another overpitched ball and Stoinis is a little lucky that AB has misjudged this
19.2
6
Stoinis to de Villiers, SIX, drilled into the boundary padding. Friendly, overpitched ball outside off. Clears the front leg and and has a whippy swing at this

John R: "With all due respect, never thought I'd see the day people would tell ABD to do a Jadeja!!"

19.1
2
Stoinis to de Villiers, 2 runs, short and wide outside off, cut to sweeper's left
19.1
1w
Stoinis to de Villiers, 1 wide, goes full and wide, and overdoes it. Left alone

Anand kumar San: "RCB need a jadeja kind of over to be competative"

END OF OVER:
19 | 9 Runs | RCB: 148/5 | RR: 7.78

  • AB de Villiers53 (36b)
  • Daniel Sams3 (2b)
  • Avesh Khan4-0-24-1
  • Kagiso Rabada4-0-38-1

Avesh has conceded 13 off his last two overs. AB only got 8 off him today in seven balls. Now Stoinis coming on for the last over.

18.6
1
Avesh Khan to de Villiers, 1 run, dipping yorker at middle stump, crunched along the floor to long-on
18.5
4
Avesh Khan to de Villiers, FOUR, dropped short outside off and hauled to long-on's right for his fifty. He didn't get all of this pull shot, but there was enough to get it between long-on and deep midwicket

Is AB going down for the scoop now? Will he keep bowling the yorker?

18.4
1
Avesh Khan to Sams, 1 run, yorker outside off, shuffles and looks to carve that behind point, but it comes off the toe-end
18.3
2
Avesh Khan to Sams, 2 runs, length outside off, shuffles and has a swing on the up. That's onto him quickly and he can only end up slicing to long-off's left
18.2
1
Avesh Khan to de Villiers, 1 run, another yorker, at leg stump. Clears the front leg and drags this down to long-on
18.1
0
Avesh Khan to de Villiers, no run, in-dipping yorker at off and middle. Jams it back to the bowler who has appealed for a catch! The umpires have sent it upstairs. AB is unfazed. He's met that on the full, off the toe-end, and hit it straight into the pitch. That's not out

END OF OVER:
18 | 11 Runs 1 Wkt | RCB: 139/5 | RR: 7.72

  • AB de Villiers47 (32b)
  • Kagiso Rabada4-0-38-1
  • Avesh Khan3-0-15-1
17.6
W
Rabada to Washington Sundar, OUT, taken pitch-side. Short ball, cramping him at the chest. He wants to pull that away, he's not in shape, perhaps not even looking it at it by the end. The bat turns in his hands, one of them comes off, and it hangs nicely for Rabada. Sundar's batting form continues to desert him

Washington Sundar c & b Rabada 6 (16m 9b 0x4 0x6) SR: 66.66

Mayank Agarwal: "Would he give 1 over to Stoinis or gamble with Mishra at the death?" --- Stoinis for the 20th, I'm guessing

17.5
1
Rabada to de Villiers, 1 run, yorker at middle stump, clears the front leg and jams it down to long-on
17.4
6
Rabada to de Villiers, SIX, pulled neatly over deep midwicket. Short of a length and rising outside off. Right into the arc for the aerial pull and that is sent flying
17.3
1
Rabada to Washington Sundar, 1 run, short and at off stump, backs into the leg side and slices to third man

prathap_kaveti: "Why is still Sundar treated as an all rounder in t20's? Those 7-8 balls he faced in death is gold dust! "

Saksham: "@Laks: Can't even imagine it has been 9 years already since that Steyn Over. This superhuman AB just keeps going on and on!"

17.2
1
Rabada to de Villiers, 1 run, full at middle stump, clears the front leg and drills to long-on
17.1
2
Rabada to de Villiers, 2 runs, nails a middle-stump yorker, clears the front leg and jammed through vacant midwicket

END OF OVER:
17 | 4 Runs | RCB: 128/4 | RR: 7.52

  • AB de Villiers37 (28b)
  • Washington Sundar5 (7b)
  • Avesh Khan3-0-15-1
  • Kagiso Rabada3-0-27-0

Superb stuff from Avesh.

16.6
1
Avesh Khan to de Villiers, 1 run, short and just outside off, cut into the floor and out to sweeper cover
16.5
1
Avesh Khan to Washington Sundar, 1 run, full and wide outside off, clears the front leg and drives to sweeper's left
16.4
0
Avesh Khan to Washington Sundar, no run, short of a length just outside off, pushed straight to point off the back foot

DC 2nd innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st23S DhawanPP Shaw
2nd5SPD SmithPP Shaw
3rd19RR PantPP Shaw
4th45MP StoinisRR Pant
5th78SO HetmyerRR Pant