Rahul’s brilliance and Porel’s poise power Delhi Capitals to dominant win over LSG
KL Rahul’s belligerent knock and Abhishek Porel’s composed half-century steered Delhi Capitals to a commanding eight-wicket victory over Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
After a disciplined bowling effort restricted LSG to a modest total, Rahul and Porel’s fluent fifties ensured Delhi chased down the target with ease. Returning to his former home ground, Rahul silenced the crowd with a record-breaking 57*—his 40th IPL fifty—while also becoming the fastest player to reach 5000 runs in IPL history. With this win, Delhi Capitals drew level with Gujarat Titans on 12 points.
Chasing 160, DC got off to a flying start. Openers Karun Nair and Abhishek Porel launched an early assault, taking 15 runs off Shardul Thakur’s first over. Nair struck consecutive boundaries, followed by a crisp four from Porel off a low full toss.
Nair continued his aggressive approach, lofting a maximum over Aiden Markram. But his quickfire 15 (9) was cut short by Ravi Bishnoi’s sharp turner that spun past his bat, clipped his back leg, and crashed into the stumps.
Rahul and Porel then steadied the chase with a calm 69-run partnership. Porel showed his range by smashing an 83-metre six off Bishnoi and bringing up his first fifty of the season with a quick single in the 11th over. Rahul displayed trademark class, pulling off a majestic 86-metre slog sweep over mid-wicket.
Against the run of play, Aiden Markram broke the stand, dismissing Porel for a well-made 51 off 36 balls. Trying to clear the fence, Porel mistimed his shot and was caught by David Miller.
Axar Patel joined Rahul to finish the job. He was handed a reprieve when Prince Yadav dropped a simple catch, and Rahul soon reached his milestone fifty. Fittingly, he sealed the win in style with a glorious six, guiding DC to an emphatic win with 11 balls to spare.
Earlier in the Day:
LSG started positively, with openers Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh putting up 51 in the powerplay. Markram led the charge, scoring a fluent 52 off 33 balls, decorated with two fours and three sixes. However, just as the innings began to accelerate, Dushmantha Chameera removed the dangerous South African, ending an 87-run partnership.
Nicholas Pooran, one of LSG’s standout performers this season, failed to fire and was bowled by Mitchell Starc for 9. Abdul Samad followed cheaply, contributing just 2 off 8 balls before falling to Mukesh Kumar, who struck again to dismiss Marsh for a well-crafted 45.
At 110/4, the momentum started to slip from LSG. David Miller and Ayush Badoni stitched a late 49-run stand, with Badoni playing the aggressor. He cracked three consecutive boundaries off Mukesh Kumar in the final over but was dismissed on the fourth delivery for 36 off 21.
Captain Rishabh Pant walked in but failed to make an impact, perishing on the final ball of the innings. Miller remained unbeaten on 14 off 15, managing just one boundary, and looked far from his fluent best.
Delhi’s all-round show—led by Rahul’s brilliance and Porel’s maturity—highlighted their growing confidence as they strengthen their playoff bid.
