IPL 2023: Delhi Capitals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, Match 40 - Talking Points and Who Said What?

The 40th match of IPL 2023 saw another thrilling contest as it was drawn to the last where Sunrisers Hyderabad got the better of Delhi Capitals by nine runs. SRH and DC locked horns for the second consecutive time in this tournament as they enthralled the audience at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi with riveting action in the second match of Saturday, April 29's double-header.

SRH put themselves to bat first after being favoured by the coin following which, Mitchell Marsh struck at regular intervals to weaken SRH's batting line-up. However, Abhishek Sharma and Heinrich Klaasen held their ground to bring up two crucial fifties which guided SRH to a score of 197/6. Chasing, DC got off to a 112-run second wicket stand between Phil Salt and Mitchell Marsh, after losing skipper David Warner on the second ball of their innings. As much as they tried, DC eventually fell short of the target by nine runs, managing to put up 188 runs on the board at the loss of six wickets.

Let's look at the Talking Points from today's game - 

Mitchell Marsh's all-round prowess gets him Player of the Match award on a losing cause

Mitchell Marsh shone for Delhi Capitals both with bat and ball but had to, unfortunately, settle as part of the second-best team. He exhaled fire with the ball in the first innings, claiming four wickets while giving away just 27 runs in his quota of four overs, thus, registering the lowest economy rate for DC. He first dismissed Rahul Tripathi in the fifth over and then gave effect to SRH's next two dismissals which came in the form of Aiden Markram and Harry Brook. He came back to send Abdul Samad packing in the 17th over to complete his quota of four wickets.

On the batting front too, Marsh emerged as DC's highest run scorer, knocking 63 runs off his bat in just 39 deliveries. He hit a solitary four and as many as six maximums to drive DC's chase but couldn't accomplish the mission as the DC line-up failed to survive the wrath of SRH bowlers following Marsh's dismissal in the 14th over. 

Abhishek Sharma and Heinrich Klaasen's flamboyant half-centuries help SRH put challenging first innings total on board

In the first innings, SRH was guided by Abhishek Sharma and Heinrich Klaasen's brilliant half-centuries to a competitive total of 197 following the completion of the allotted 20 overs. Batting in his preferred opening slot, Abhishek returned another scintillating knock as the 22-year-old scored 67 runs off 36 balls with the help of 12 fours and a maximum.

Heinrich Klaasen, who was going through an ordinary season, too brought up a half-century to help SRH go big in the innings. Klaasen hit two fours and four maximums in his unconquered innings of 53 runs which came off just 27 deliveries.

Mayank Markande's brilliant form helps SRH seal the match

Mayank Markande, who has been the most consistent bowler for SRH in the ongoing tournament, once again lived up to the expectations as he came out as the most economical bowler of the match while adding two wickets to his kitty as well. Markande gave only 20 runs in 24 balls at a placid economy rate of just five. He also dismissed dangerman Phil Salt to break the 112-run stand for the second wicket, before returning to take the wicket of Priyam Garg in the 16th over.

Losing Captain, David Warner said -

We were off a bit with the ball, but I think Mitch Marsh bowled fantastic. He was our best bowler. To come up 9 runs short is disappointing. I don't think the pitch slowed down a lot, they took pace off. When you lose wickets in the middle it can be extremely difficult. He's (Axar) in good touch. For us it was about, we get off to a good start and we know that him and me will have to handle their spinners with the ball spinning back in. Holding Axar can be difficult. We have been losing too many wickets through the middle.

Winning Captain, Aiden Markram said -

Great team effort, good to see the guys show good skills and character. I don't mind getting things wrong if the approach is right. It helps to see such performances, the guys will see that results are there to be had. Credit to the way the team has responded. Klassy has been in great form, and Abhishek did the hard work early on. Klassy backs himself to play that way, good to see it pay off. We needed wickets to get back in the game, the two were doing well and it needed a special catch from Mayank. Fortunately, the ball was stopping a bit and the bowlers showed great character to execute their spoils. This win will give great confidence, now we travel back home and try to build on this. 

Player of the Match, Mitchell Marsh said - 

Took me a few games to get going, but a dissapointing loss. Had that nice partnership with Salt but not enough to get over the line. The wicket did slow down a bit, but I think it was a case of us chasing 20 too many either way. And they were really good. It was all about getting the boundaries, applying the pressure. Certainly lots of positives from today, we've lost a few close ones. We've been on the wrong end of a few but we do feel there is a long way to go in this tournament. Time to start winning a few.