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IPL 2025: Mukesh four-for sets up comfortable win as Delhi Capitals close the gap up top

Published

10 months ago

2025/04/23

Priyan

Mukesh Kumar got two wickets in his first two overs [BCCI]

KL Rahul was unavailable when Delhi Capitals (DC) met Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) earlier in IPL 2025. But coming up against LSG for the first time since they parted ways, Rahul anchored DC’s chase with a half-century and guided them home along with his captain Axar Patel.

DC closed the gap with table-toppers Gujarat Titans, with only net run rate separating the two teams. DC’s win was set up by Mukesh, who claimed career-best IPL figures of 4 for 33 to restrict LSG to 159 for 6 after they were 87 for 0 in the tenth over.

LSG captain Rishabh Pant bizarrely didn’t walk out to bat until his team was five down, with just two balls left in their innings. After stepping out to his first ball and missing, he didn’t connect with a reverse-ramp next ball, and ended up deflecting the ball back on to the stumps off his pads for a duck.

His opposite number, however, had a more productive outing. After having taken the new ball and bowled four tight overs on the trot, Axar cracked an unbeaten 34 off 20 balls from No. 4.

After being asked to bat, LSG had another strong start, passing fifty for the sixth time in nine innings in the powerplay this season. Aiden Markram scored 30 of the 51 runs LSG had scored in the powerplay, including two sixes. Mitchell Marsh was happy to ride in Markram’s slipstream.

Markram also batted with high intent against spin, swatting Axar down the ground for four, and pulling Vipraj Nigam over midwicket for six. Markram went on to bring up his fifty off 30 balls, but when he tried to clear the bigger boundary on the off side, he holed out to sweeper cover for 52 off 33 balls.

It was Dushmantha Chameera who had provided DC with the breakthrough in his first game this season. Axar, meanwhile, had already bowled out by the seventh over, conceding 29 runs in four overs. It allowed him to backload Kuldeep Yadav’s overs. Kuldeep bowled the 11th, 13th, 15th and 17th overs, giving away 33 runs in his four overs.

After being on 87 for 0 in the tenth over, LSG could manage only 72 off the last ten. Mukesh led DC’s remarkable fightback with his hard lengths and reverse-swinging yorkers at the death.

In the 14th over, he coaxed a return catch from Abdul Samad, who was promoted to No. 4, and yorked Marsh while conceding just three runs. Then, in the last over of the innings, Ayush Badoni hit him for three fours in a row, but Mukesh bounced back to bowl both him and Pant, keeping LSG to their lowest total this season.

Mitchell Starc also played his part, having bested Nicholas Pooran with a slower bouncer for 9 off five balls. It was the fifth time in seven innings that Starc had dismissed Pooran in T20 cricket.

As for Pant, he batted at No. 7 for the first time in the IPL since 2016, and lasted all of two balls for zero runs. Impact Player Badoni’s 36 off 21 balls gave LSG’s total a modicum of respectability, but it meant that they could not bring in Mayank Yadav during their defence.

IPL owners often summon captains to explain the decisions they make, but it usually happens behind closed doors. Live visuals of the LSG owner giving Rahul a dressing down after Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) mowed down 166 in under ten overs went viral last season. LSG did not retain Rahul after that, and when he ran into them at Ekana, he extended his fine form for DC with his third half-century this season.

Rahul also ticked off another landmark: he became the fastest to 5000 IPL runs, getting there in his 130th innings. He then sealed the chase with a six in the 18th over.

Opener Abishek Porel who scored 51 off 36 balls for his first fifty of the season, and Axar, also contributed handsomely with the bat for DC.

After DC had lost Karun Nair early, Rahul steadied the innings along with Porel. He was on 19 off 20 balls at one point, but stepped up a gear when he slog-swept Ravi Bishnoi for six. Rahul went onto bring up his fifty off 40 balls. Axar started in fourth gear, and stayed there, as DC wrapped up the win with eight wickets and 13 balls to spare.

Brief scores:
Delhi Capitals 161 for 2 in 17.5 overs (KL Rahul 57*, Abishek Porel 51, Karun Nair 15, Axar Patel 34*; Aiden Markram 2-30) beat Lucknow Super Giants 159 for 6 in 20 overs( Aiden Markram 52, Mitchell Marsh 45, David Miller 14, Ayush Badoni 36; Mitchell Starc 1-25, Mukesh Kumar 4-33, Dushmantha Chameera 1-25) by eight wickets

[Cricinfo]

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Muzarabani returns as Zimbabwe opt to bowl against Oman

Published

10 mins ago

2026/02/9

Priyan

Sikandar Raza and Jatinder Singh at the toss (Cricinfo)

Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza decided to field first against Oman in the men’s T20 World Cup match at the SSC in Colombo. Both teams were pleased to arrive in Sri Lanka early to get themselves attuned to the conditions.

Zimbabwe have Blessing Muzarabani back in the squad after he missed the tri-series in Pakistan in November.

Oman, meanwhile, include 44-year-old Aaamir Kaleem the oldest player in the tournament – after he came into the side in place of Hasnain Shah, who was injured after the squad was named.

Zimbabwe return to the tournament after missing out on the previous edition in West Indies and the United States of America. They had made it to the Super 12s of the 2022 T20 World Cup but failed to progress through the qualifiers for the 2024 tournament. They completed qualification alongside Namibia; Brian Bennett was the tournament’s top run-scorer, while Brad Evans and Richard Ngarava were among the leading wicket-takers.

Zimbabwe are bolstered by the return of Graeme Cremer, whose November 2025 comeback marked the longest gap between T20I appearances.

Oman are one of three qualifiers from the Asia-Pacific region, alongside Nepal and the UAE. They have previously appeared in the 2016, 2021, and 2024 editions of the T20 World Cup.

Oman: Jatinder Singh (capt), Aamir Kaleem, Hammad Mirza, Wasim Ali, Karan Sonavale, Jiten Ramanandi, Vinayak Shukla (wk), Sufyan Mehmood, Nadeem Khan, Shah Faisal, Shakeel Ahmad

Zimbabwe: Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Dion Myers, Brendan Taylor (wk), Sikandar Raza (capt), Ryan Burl, Tashinga Musekiwa, Brad Evans, Wellington Masakadza, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani

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Munsey and Leask spoil Italy’s T20 World Cup debut2

Published

19 mins ago

2026/02/9

Priyan

George Munsey top scored for Scotland (Cricinfo)

Scotland may have suffered a blip the last time they faced Italy in a T20I but ensured they picked up the first points of their 2026 T20 World Cup campaign after a dominant performance at Eden Gardens. George Munsey’s 54-ball 84, supported by cameos from Brandon McMullen and Michael Leask, followed by Leask’s four-wicket haul helped Scotland spoil Italy’s debut in the tournament. The 73-run win gave Scotland two points after their defeat to West Indies in Kolkata two days ago.

Brief scores:

Scotland 207 for 4 in 20 overs (George Munsey 84, Michael Jones 37, Brandon McMullen 41, Richie Berrington 15, Michael Leask 22*; Ali Hasan 1-21, Grant Stewart 1-44, Thomas Draca 1-37, JJ Smuts 1-38) beat Italy 134 in 16.4 overs (Anthony Mosca 13, JJ Smutts 22, Harry Manenti 52; Michael Leask 4-17, Brad Currie 1-12, Brad Wheal 1-29, Mark Watt 2-24, Oliver Davidson 1-33 ) by 73 runs

(Cricinfo)

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Italy captain Wayne Madsen injures shoulder in T20 World Cup opener

Published

47 mins ago

2026/02/9

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Wayne Madsen hurt his shoulder while fielding at Eden Gardens (Cricinfo)

In an inauspicious start to Italy’s maiden T20 World Cup campaign, their captain Wayne Madsen dislocated his shoulder in the fourth over of Scotland’s innings at #den Gardens. He was later ruled out of any further participation in the match.

Madsen was fielding at midwicket when he tried to stop a pull from George Munsey. He unsuccessfully dived to his left and rolled over on the practice pitches and immediately asked for medical attention. He soon left the ground using a towel as a sling for his left arm.

Madsen, by far Italy’s most experienced cricketer at age 42, is playing his maiden T20 World Cup and was taken for X-rays right away at the venue. A typical shoulder dislocation can take anywhere between seven to 21 days for full recovery while more serious cases can take three to four months.

In Madsen’s absence, Italy were captained by Harry Manenti for the remainder of Scotland’s innings. Scotland went on to score 207 for 4 after they were sent in to bat.

While serious injury replacements are being trialled by cricket boards in India and Australia in domestic cricket, there are no injury replacements in the playing XI allowed in international cricket. At the moment, replacements are allowed only if players suffer concussion.

Madsen was appointed Italy captain for the 2026 T20 World Cup after Joe Burns was not selected for the tournament. This World Cup is his second across sports; he also represented South Africa in the men’s hockey in the 2006 World Cup.

After the game against Scotland in Kolkata on February 9, Italy play Nepal in Mumbai on February 12, and then travel back to Kolkata to play England on February 16 and West Indies on February 19.

( Cricinfo)