PICS: Delhi Capitals whip RCB; both make play-offs

Images from Monday's Indian Premier League match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals, in Abu Dhabi.

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Half-centuries by Ajinkya Rahane and Shikhar Dhawan earned Delhi Capitals a six-wicket victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore and second place in the eight-team Indian Premier League, in Abu Dhabi, on Monday.

Set 153 for victory, Delhi Capitals overhauled the total in 19 overs, finishing with 154 for 4.

Despite the defeat, Royal Challengers Bangalore also made it to the play-offs, but await the result of Tuesday’s last league match between Mumbai Indians and SunRisers Hyderabad in Sharjah to know their opponent for the Eliminator match.

Royal Challengers qualified for the playffs as Delhi took more than 17.3 overs to complete the task. Virat Kohli's side finished the league stage engagements with better net run-rate than Kolkata Knight Riders.

If SunRisers beat Mumbai Indians they qualify for the play-offs; if they lose, then Kolkata Knight Riders go through.

Rahane (60 off 46 balls) and Dhawan (54 off 41) led Delhi’s chase of the meagre total with an 88-run partnership, after Anrich Nortje (3 for 33), Kagiso Rabada (2 for 30) and Ravichandran Ashwin (1-18) put the brakes on the Royal Challengers in the middle overs, Ashwin accounting for the key wicket of skipper Virat Kohli, to fashion an easy victory, after four straight defeats.

Openers Prithvi Shaw (9) and Dhawan began the chase aggressively note, finding the ropes in the first over itself.

However, the former India Under-19 captain, after hitting two boundaries, again departed early in the chase.

Dhawan then found and able ally in Rahane and the two senior batsmen made full use of the field restrictions as Delhi Capitals raced to 53 for 1 in quick time.

Dhawan posted his fifty in style, flicking the ball past short fine for a four.

Shahbaz Ahmed broke the stand by getting rid of Dhawan in the 13th over.

Skipper Shreyas Iyer (7) was next to go, and Rahane followed soon. However, Rishabh Pant (8) and Marcus Stoinis (10) hit up the remaining runs without any fuss.

Earlier, young Devdutt Padikkal hit the right notes yet again to score a half-century before Delhi Capitals pulled things back to restrict Royal Challengers Bangalore to 152 for 7.

Padikkal displayed good form during his stay in the middle, smashing five fours in his 41-ball 50 and shared a 57-run stand with skipper Kohli (29 off 24) for the third wicket.

Delhi Capitals however recovered from the early onslaught in the middle overs.

Pacer Nortje (3-33) was the pick of the Delhi Capitals bowlers, while Rabada (2-30) bagged two wickets and Ashwin (1-18) took the important wicket of Kohli.

Invited bat, Padikkal and Josh Philippe (12) were circumspect in the powerplay overs. Rabada provided the Capitals with the early breakthrough off his very first ball, claiming the wicket of the Australian in the fifth over.

The powerplay overs yielded 41 runs, including five fours and a maximum, for the loss of one wicket.

Kohli, who was dropped on 13 in the 10th over by Nortje, tried to up the ante in the 12th over by hitting Axar Patel for a six. The Royal Challengers skipper again looked to smash the ball over the fence in the next over but was caught at deep mid-wicket by Marcus Stoinis off an Ashwin delivery.

Nortje struck twice in the 16th over to get rid of Padikkal and South African all-rounder Chris Morris for a duck and turn things around for Delhi.

AB de Villiers (35) was yet again in sublime touch and raised a 33-run stand with young Shivam Dube (17 off 11 balls), but the duo was unable to power Royal Challengers to a bigger total.