Sports
IPL 2025: All-round Delhi Capitals secure second win on the bounce
Sunrisers Hyderabad’s philosophy of living by the sword and dying by it led them to their second successive defeat, against Delhi Capitals in Vizag. Mitchell Starc picked his maiden T20 fifer to keep SRH down to 163 despite Aniket Verma’s six-hitting exhibition in a 41-ball 74 before the DC top-order chased it down with 7 wickets and four overs to spare.
Where the match was won?
SRH were hamstrung in the PowerPlay with four dismissals. They got six more than Delhi Capitals did in this phase but it was the repercussions of this phase that led them to an under-par total.
The PowerPlay difference
| Parameters | SRH | DC |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 58/4 | 52/0 |
| Run-rate | 9.67 | 8.67 |
| 4s/6s | 7/1 | 4/3 |
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Powerplay: Starc removes top-order
Phase score: 58/4 [RR: 9.67, 4s/6s: 7/1]
Pat Cummins became the first captain this season to bat first after winning the toss but his high-flying top-order was quickly dismantled by Mitchell Starc. Abhishek Sharma was run out after a mix-up between the openers after which Mitchell Starc took out Ishan Kishan, Nitish Reddy and Travis Head by the fifth over. With that, since IPL 2024, Starc has 8 wickets in 11 overs against SRH in PowerPlay. SRH should’ve been five down before the end of the PowerPlay, but Abishek Porel put down a catch to offer Aniket Verma a reprieve.
Middle-overs: Aniket flies but DC retain control
Phase score: 82/3 [RR: 9.11, 4s/6s: 4/6]
Aniket flexed his muscles against DC’s spinners, starting out by hitting Vipraj Nigam for a six and a four in the seventh over. In the next over, he tonked Axar for two successive sixes and also went after Mohit Sharma. Heinrich Klaasen then welcomed Kuldeep Yadav with a straight six to press on with the fifth-wicket stand. They took the team past 100 by the halfway stage but DC hit back through an excellent catch from Vipraj Nigam that sent the South African back. Kuldeep and Axar then bowled three excellent overs, conceding just eight in it. Aniket meanwhile got to his maiden IPL half-century and went after Axar once again in a 17-run 15th over.
Death overs: Starc bundles out SRH with fifer
Phase score: 23/3 [RR: 6.27 4s/6s: 1/1]
Aniket departed in the 16th over chasing another big six, falling for a 41-ball 74. Starc then came back to quickly wrap the innings up in the 19th over, dismissing Harshal Patel and Wiaan Mulder. While SRH finished on 163, the Aussie quick walked away with figures of 5-35, his first fifer in T20 cricket.
Delhi Capitals
PowerPlay: SRH toil in wicketless phase
Phase score: 52/0 [RR: 8.67, 4s/6s: 4/3]
Faf du Plessis and Jake Fraser-McGurk started well, taking on all four of the bowling options that Cummins threw at them in the PowerPlay. Harshal Patel bowled a good first over but Cummins himself was taken apart for 13 runs. Shami started well but erred in his second to let DC control the game at the start of their chase.
Middle-overs: Zeeshan Ansari strikes thrice but DC march on
Phase score: 98/3 [RR: 10.88, 4s/6s: 9/4]
SRH’s young leggie Zeeshan Ansari picked three wickets but it didn’t alter the course of the proceedings as the hosts galloped along towards the target through different batters. Du Plessis got to a 26-ball half-century while McGurk too showed urgency before falling to the spinner. DC had 96 on the board at the halfway stage, being comfortably ahead of the asking rate. KL Rahul marked his DC debut by smashing Shami for two fours and a six in the 11th over. Abishek Porel then walked out and seamlessly carried on with the run-making, hitting Ansari for a four and a six in the 14th over. DC got to 150/3 in 15 overs, with only 13 more to get at the death.
Death-over: Six balls to wrap it up
Phase score – 16/0 [RR: 16.00, 4s/6s: 2/1]
Porel went after Wiaan Mulder in the 16th over to complete the commanding victory.
Brief Scores:
Sunrisers Hyderabad 163 in 18.4 overs (Aniket Verma 74, Heinrich Klaasen 32, Travis Head 22; Mitchell Starc 5-35, Kuldeep Yadav 3-22, Mohit Sharma 1-25) lost to Delhi Capitals 166/3 in 16 overs (Faf du Plessis 50, Jake Fraser-McGurk 38, Abishek Porel 34*, KL Rahul 15, Tristan Stubbs 21*; Zeeshan Ansari 3-42) by 7 wickets
What next?
Sunrisers head to Kolkata where they face KKR on April 3 while Delhi Capitals have a longer break before taking on CSK in Chennai on April 5.
A depleted New Zealand attack – effectively reduced to just two-and-a-half frontline bowlers – was made to toil as a defiant West Indies rearguard stretched the contest into a fifth day on an increasingly docile Hagley Oval surface.
Forced off the field on day three by an eye infection, Shai Hope returned with sunglasses under his helmet to compile an unbeaten 116. It followed his first-innings 56 and marked his second century in three innings, a seamless extension of the defiance he showed while stonewalling India for long periods in New Delhi in October.
If Hope was the fulcrum, Justin Greaves was the anchor beside him. He reined in his instincts to play a composed, almost uncharacteristically restrained hand to finish 55 not out off 143 balls. His unbroken fifth-wicket partnership with Hope was worth 140 as New Zealand’s attack toiled under the blazing Christchurch sun.
Nathan Smith did not come out to bat and spent the entire innings off the field with a side strain. When Matt Henry left the field after the 35th over – later heading to hospital next door for scans – with West Indies 92 for 4, New Zealand may have hoped to finish off the game quickly.
But with his bowling resources rapidly thinning, Tom Latham – already standing in with the gloves due to Tom Blundell’s torn hamstring that ruled him out of not just this Test but the next – was left to lean heavily on Rachin Ravindra and Michael Bracewell’s part-time spin around pacer Jacob Duffy. On a surface that only got easier to bat on against the old ball, Hope and Greaves settled in and applied themselves admirably.
Having begun with positive intent, Hope was tested periodically with the short ball, Duffy setting a square leg halfway to the rope along with a short leg and fine leg for the pull. Hope mostly swayed and ducked out of harm’s way, and on the rare occasions he was tempted into the shot, he did well to keep it down. He brought up his fourth Test century off 139 deliveries.
Duffy employed a similar plan to Greaves, whose natural game is far more instinctive. But to his credit, Greaves appeared to take a cue from Hope, choosing restraint instead. He played only when the ball was at his body, using his height to ride the bounce and fend safely. While he was a lot more enterprising against spin, the fundamental of his knock was crease occupation.
Hope and Greaves laid down the template for those who perished prior to their arrival. Tagenarine Chanderpaul and John Campbell were put through a stern new ball test by Foulkes and Henry as they repeatedly tested both their edges in an engaging first spell. Chanderpaul’s propensity to shuffle across got him into trouble more often than not, and was out to a short ball that he inside-edged to the keeper for 6 off 45 balls.
Campbell – out an over earlier – was taken out by Foulkes as he jabbed at an away-swinger with no feet movement as Bracewell took a superb low catch at second slip. In the overs prior to his dismissal, Campbell wore a blow on his boot as he smashed one back off an inside-edge, making him groan in discomfort. This may have eventually had a hand in his dismissal.
Alick Athanaze never got going, and the frustration of being unable to score had him attempt a pull, only to be rushed into the stroke by Bracewell. He only managed to toe-end a pull to mid-on. And when Roston Chase fell in eerily similar fashion to his dismissal in the first innings – nibbling at a Henry away-swinger while being rooted to the crease – West Indies were collapsing swiftly and were 72 for 4.
A four-day defeat loomed until Greaves and Hope dug in to give West Indies some hope even as New Zealand’s tired attack wheeled away in the hope of a mistake. That wasn’t to come, as West Indies took the fight into the final day even though hopes of scaling down the 531-run target they were set seem just a pipe dream for now.
Earlier in the morning, New Zealand surprised many by choosing to bat on. Perhaps this was to give their bowlers more rest on a placid surface, considering the slew of injuries. Kemar Roach picked up three of the four wickets to fall, finishing with figures of 5 for 78 to take his wickets tally to 290.
Brief scores:
West Indies 167 and 212 for 4 (Shai Hope 116*, Justin Greaves 55*; Jacob Duffy 2-60) trail New Zealand 231 and 466 for 8 dec (Rachin Ravindra 176, Tom Latham 145; Kemar Roach 5-78) by 319 runs
(Cricinfo)
Colombo Aces officially introduced its Golf Team for the inaugural Ceylon Golf League 2025, Sri Lanka’s first franchise-based golf tournament — at a special unveiling event held recently in Colombo.
Co-founded by entrepreneurs Shamal Perera and Suhayb Sangani, along with Sri Lankan cricket legend Mahela Jayawardene, the inaugural Ceylon Golf League 2025 commenced on the 5th December at the Royal Colombo Golf Club, featuring eight franchise teams.
Across three days and three formats, eight city-based franchises will compete in a high-intensity showcase that sets a new benchmark for the sport locally.
Responding to the impact of recent floods, Ceylon Golf League 2025 is pledging over LKR 10 million from this weekend’s proceeds to support the Government of Sri Lanka in restoring affected infrastructure nationwide. In addition to the prize money already allocated to the main fund, Colombo Aces will contribute a further LKR 250,000 to the cause.
The Colombo Aces Golf Team will be led by Jehan De Saram, a highly respected PGA-qualified Sri Lankan golf professional who serves as both Captain and Head Coach. De Saram brings extensive experience to the role, having previously been the Director of Golf at the Royal Colombo Golf Club and a former national coach for the Sri Lanka golf team. Renowned for developing young talent, he has also competed in numerous local and international tournaments, adding significant depth and expertise to the Aces’ coaching setup.
Colombo Aces Golf Team – Kushal Johnpillai, Uchitha Ranasinghe (Men’s 2 & under), G.G Sathsara, Chanaka Perera (Men’s 3 to 6), Rajeev Rajapaksa, Chulaka Amarasinghe (Men’s 7 to 10), Reza Magdon Ismail, Thusith Wijesinghe, Kapila Dandeniya (Men’s 11 to 14), Fazlur Muzammil, Dhevan Peiris (Men’s 15 to 18), Usha De Silva, Sanduni Wanasinghe (Ladies’ 20 & under), Sandra Cadien, Vihara Herath and Fran De Mel (Ladies’ 21 & over) .
After an interminable break between matches following 48 hours of mayhem in Perth, the Ashes resumed with England producing a rollercoaster batting performance as Joe Root ended his century jinx on Australian soil in the day-night second Test.
In the final hour of an absorbing opening day, Root raised his arms aloft under the lights before taking off his helmet to celebrate his 40th Test century and first in Australia.
Root finished unbeaten on 135 from 202 balls and anchored an England first innings that at times showed restraint, but was also marked by reckless dismissals. Four batters fell for ducks with England again tormented by pink ball maestro Mitchell Starc, who finished with 6 for 71 to power past Wasim Akram’s record for most Test wickets by a left-arm quick.
But after the humiliation of batting just 67.3 across two innings in Perth, England batted the whole day – albeit only 74 overs were bowled – as they posted their first score over 300 in a Test in Australia since January 2018.
Brief scores:
England 325 for 9 in 74 overs (Joe Root 132*, Crawley 76, Harry Brook 31, Jofra Archer 32*; Mitchell Starc 6-71) vs Australia
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