IPL 2021: Delhi Capitals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad- Delhi wins in a convincing fashion

What a start we have had to the second leg of IPL 2021! We have seen three absolute belters, and this is just the start. The fourth game saw the Delhi capitals take on the Sunrisers Hyderabad in a clash of the two opposite ends of the table. Delhi looked to carry forward their good form from the first leg into the second and reclaim their spot at the top of the table from the Chennai Super Kings. The Sunrisers Hyderabad looked to build momentum despite knowing that qualifying for the play-offs would be improbable as they languish at the bottom half of the table.

It was the ideal day for a beautiful game of cricket as one team had nothing to lose while another had a lot on the line. The game started with a scare as SRH pacer T Natarajan tested positive for Covid, the other players were deemed safe to play, and the match carried on without much of an issue. The surface seemed to be a good one, and Kane Williamson looked to make the most of it as he won the toss and chose to bat. SRH has a good history of defending totals rather than chasing them, so it made sense that the captain would opt to bat first.

"Good surface... make use of the conditions first up. For us, it was a chance to regroup. We want to put in a more focused performance. Warner, Holder, Rashid and myself are the overseas players. Delhi is a very strong side," said SRH captain Kane Williamson in an interview with Star Sports during the toss.

Delhi was okay to chase as they knew their deep batting lineup had the capability of chasing down big scores. "Absolutely fine fielding first. We would have bowled first anyway. We are just looking to focus and take one match at a time. Nortje, Rabada, Hetmyer and Stoinis are our overseas players. Ashwin in, instead of Lalit," said Delhi Capitals captain Rishab Pant in an interview to Star Sports during the toss.

The Sunrisers got off to the worst start possible as they lost David Warner in the very first over with a peach of a delivery from Anrich Nortje. Warner had huge expectations of him after the absence of ace batsman Jonny Bairstow. Unfortunately, the Australian could not get the job done in his first game back. Hopefully, he will pick up form as the tournament goes on. Wriddhiman Saha seemed to be settling in as he found the boundary couple of times with neat strokes. Kagiso Rabada put an end to that in the fourth over as he picked up the crucial wicket of Saha, who seemed destined for a big inning with the way he started. It was now up to the captain Kane Williamson to sprinkle some of his magic on the game and lead his team to a challenging total despite losing two crucial wickets within the first five overs.

Williamson and Manish Pandey seemed to be building a good partnership as they paced their innings correctly, taking quick singles and hitting timely fours when needed. Axar Patel, who is a key cog in Delhi's success, managed to bail his team out yet again as he broke the partnership by picking up the critical scalp of Kane Williamson. It was an utter collapse from there as the batsmen struggled to get a grip of the game as they all fell one by one like dominoes. The Delhi Capitals bowling unit came to play as they put immense pressure on the opposing batting line-up by picking up wickets at important junctures in the game. Timely contributions from Abdul Samad and Rashid Khan helped SRH mount a much more defendable score of 134 from the dire straits they were in previously.

The Delhi openers started aggressively as Shikhar Dhawan was at his best, dissecting the SRH bowling lineup and finding gaps in their fielding setups to exploit them. The stylish left-hander found the boundary at will as he annihilated a hapless Delhi bowling attack before Rashid Khan spun his magic yet again to pick up Dhawan's wicket. The match seemed to be slipping away from SRH's hands as Shreyas Iyer and Rishab Pant picked up right from where Dhawan left. Iyer's knock especially was critical for his team and also a bit special due to the classy left-hander's return after a long layoff.

What an ideal way to come back as you help your team chase down a target in a convincing manner while getting the ideal confidence booster. Iyer wrapped up the game with a humongous six, helping Delhi win in what looked like a blowout.

This is the ideal start for Delhi as they picked up right from where they left in the first leg. The much-prophecised return of Shreyas Iyer seemed to be as good as they expected as he thoroughly dominated from the get-go. This IPL just might be the season that Delhi finally lifts the trophy as they head into the latter stages perched comfortably at the top.