Lucknow Super Giants 195 for 3 (Rahul 77, Hooda 52, Shardul 3-40) beat Delhi Capitals 189 for 7 (Pant 44, Axar 42*, Mohsin 4-12) by six runs
Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav did rally with the bat to hit an unbeaten partnership of 41 in 3.2 overs to rattle Super Giants late in the contest, but Marcus Stoinis successfully conceded only 14 while defending 20 to get the win.
It was the second time that the team winning the toss and batting first ended victorious. Rahul (77) and Hooda (52) struck a partnership of 95 in 61 balls after they opted to bat first, and it was a decision that paid off since they made early use of a surface that did not offer big bounce, instead staying slow and low as the game progressed. Despite the lack of a big flurry at the death with wickets in hand, they still finished on a competitive 195 for 3.
It was a target that needed runs from Prithvi Shaw and David Warner in the second innings, but after both openers fell early, the Capitals were always behind in the game. Despite Mitchell Marsh’s 20-ball 37, Pant’s 30-ball 44, Powell’s 21-ball 35 and Axar’s late burst of 42 in 24 balls, it was not enough. After nine games, Capitals now have more losses than wins, while Super Giants moved to second on the points table.
more to follow…
Sreshth Shah is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo. @sreshthx
Source: ESPN Crickinfo