Mitchell Starc’s Playful Dig at Aussie Teammate Following Record IPL Performance

Faf du Plessis smashed a quickfire 50 off just 27 deliveries as Delhi Capitals triumphed over Sunrisers Hyderabad by seven wickets, marking their second consecutive victory in the IPL.

The 40-year-old du Plessis struck three fours and three sixes, forming a strong partnership of 81 runs off 55 balls with Jake Fraser-McGurk (38), guiding Delhi to chase down the target of 164 with four overs to spare.

Earlier in the match, Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc showcased his brilliance with figures of 5-35 from 3.4 overs, which saw Hyderabad bowled out for 163 runs in just 18.4 overs. Delhi completed their innings at 3-166 in 16 overs.

This marked Starc’s first five-wicket haul in his fourth season of the IPL, propelling Delhi up to second place on the points table with two wins from two matches.

Hyderabad chose to bat first but quickly fell into trouble, finding themselves at 4-37 in just 4.1 overs.

Ishan Kishan, who scored a century in the previous match, was caught out for 2, while Nitish Reddy was dismissed without scoring.

Starc also accounted for his fellow Test teammate Travis Head, who managed only 22 off 12 balls before being caught behind, leaving the Hyderabad innings in a dire state.

This marked the sixth time Starc has taken Head’s wicket, leading Starc to joke post-match, “That’s probably why he doesn’t take the strike against me.”

Aniket Verma rescued the innings with a maiden half-century, scoring 74 runs in his third IPL match. He hit six towering sixes and five fours, racing to 50 runs off 34 balls. His partnership of 77 runs off 42 balls with Heinrich Klaasen, who scored 32 off 19 balls including two sixes, was pivotal for Hyderabad.

The fifth-wicket partnership helped Hyderabad reach 100, but just as they looked to establish dominance, Klaasen’s dismissal in the 11th over swung the momentum back in Delhi’s favour.

Kuldeep Yadav produced a brilliant spell, taking 3-22 in four overs, as Hyderabad’s batting order collapsed, losing six wickets for just 49 runs and finishing with a below-par total.

In response, du Plessis and Fraser-McGurk gave Delhi a flying start. However, debutant spinner Zeeshan Ansari struck thrice, including taking out both set openers in quick succession.

Despite this, Delhi’s chase was bolstered by Abhishek Porel, who scored an unbeaten 34 off 18 balls, including two sixes, alongside Lokesh Rahul, who made 15 runs off five balls in his first outing for the Capitals.

Ansari managed to bowl Rahul for his third wicket, but Tristan Stubbs capped the innings with a solid 21 not out from 14 balls, sharing a partnership of 51 runs off 28 deliveries with Porel, leading Delhi to victory with 24 balls to spare.

This loss marked Hyderabad’s second defeat in three matches, while Delhi built on their surprising win over Lucknow Super Giants in their opening game.