Mitchell Starc (BCCI/IPL Photo)

Left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc delivered a sensational spell of 5-35, while vice-captain Faf du Plessis smashed a rapid 27-ball half-century as Delhi Capitals registered a commanding seven-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam. The win keeps DC unbeaten in IPL 2025.
On a surface offering some grip, Starc’s three wickets in the powerplay pushed SRH on the back foot early. He later returned to clean up the tail, claiming his first five-wicket haul in T20 cricket. His variation in pace proved to be a key factor in dismantling SRH’s batting lineup. Kuldeep Yadav (3-22) and Mohit Sharma (1-25) provided solid support, ensuring DC’s dominance.

For SRH, uncapped batter Aniket Verma was the lone bright spot, producing a stunning 74 off 41 balls. He forged a crucial 77-run partnership off just 40 balls with Heinrich Klaasen (32), but the rest of the batting order failed to capitalize, once again struggling to put up a competitive total.

In response, du Plessis showcased his class with a fluent fifty, laced with three fours and three sixes at a strike rate of 185.19. He was well-assisted by Jake Fraser-McGurk (38), KL Rahul (15), Abishek Porel (34*), and Tristan Stubbs (21*), as DC chased the target with ease, wrapping up the match with four overs to spare. For SRH, debutant leg-spinner Zeeshan Ansari impressed with figures of 3-42.

Opting to bat first, SRH got off to a shaky start despite Travis Head finding the boundary twice off Starc in the opening over. A mix-up saw Abhishek Sharma run out for just one, and from there, the collapse began. Starc dismissed Ishan Kishan (caught at deep third man), local lad Nitish Kumar Reddy (caught at mid-on off an off-cutter), and Head (caught behind attempting a steer to third man), reducing SRH to a precarious position.
Verma got a reprieve when he was dropped on six off Axar Patel’s bowling, and Klaasen injected some momentum with aggressive strokeplay, smashing Starc and Axar for boundaries to end the powerplay on a high.

Verma continued his counterattack, slog-sweeping Vipraj Nigam for six and hammering Axar for consecutive maximums—one over deep square leg and another straight down the ground. He maintained a strong base, lofting Mohit Sharma for four and dispatching Kuldeep for a towering six.
However, the promising 77-run stand was broken in the 11th over when Klaasen’s attempted leg-side shot off Mohit was brilliantly caught by Nigam, who sprinted back from backward point. SRH then lost Abhinav Manohar and Pat Cummins cheaply to Kuldeep. Verma, though, fought on, reaching his maiden IPL fifty off 34 balls and continuing to clear the ropes with ease.
His onslaught included more powerful shots—an inside-out drive off Axar for four, followed by two more sixes off the left-arm spinner. However, Kuldeep had the final say, as Fraser-McGurk executed a perfectly timed jump at deep mid-wicket to send Verma back for a well-made 74. Starc then returned to polish off the tail, ensuring SRH didn’t even bat their full 20 overs.

Fraser-McGurk set the tone early, slog-sweeping Abhishek Sharma for six, while du Plessis pulled Mohammed Shami for a maximum. While Fraser-McGurk struggled with timing and survived two dropped catches, du Plessis was in supreme touch, finding boundaries off Shami, Abhishek, and Cummins—his straight six off the Australian pacer standing out.
Fraser-McGurk continued his aggression with an uppish drive off Ansari for four before du Plessis reached his fifty off just 26 balls. However, the leg-spinner had his moment in the next over, as du Plessis mistimed a slog to long-on, giving Ansari his first IPL wicket.
Taking over the attack, Fraser-McGurk smashed Ansari for two fours and a six before chipping one back to the bowler for 38. KL Rahul announced himself in DC colors with a streaky boundary off his first ball, followed by a majestic slog-sweep and a lofted drive off Shami for six and four. But his promising start was cut short when he was bowled around his legs attempting a sweep off Ansari for 15.
Porel ensured there were no hiccups, whipping Abhishek for four and later smashing Ansari for a six and four in successive deliveries. Stubbs, too, joined the party, lofting Harshal Patel for a boundary before pulling and driving Wiaan Mulder for two more fours. Fittingly, Porel sealed the win in style, clubbing Mulder for a six as DC wrapped up their Visakhapatnam home leg with an emphatic victory.