While the IPL has increasingly become a batter-dominated contest\u2014made even more pronounced by a rise in scores of 200-plus following the introduction of the Impact Sub\u2014Royal Challengers Bengaluru produced a strikingly different story at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Monday. Delhi Capitals were routed for an all-time low total in the league.<\/p>\n
Looking to settle scores after losing to RCB in their previous four meetings, Delhi\u2019s opponents chose to bowl first. The decision paid off instantly, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood setting the tone using pace and accuracy.<\/p>\n
Bhuvneshwar\u2019s opening over delivered a perfect start. On his first delivery, an outswinger induced debutant Sahil Parakh to take the outside edge; the ball trickled toward short third before the next attempt. The very next ball was a searing inswinging yorker that crashed into the middle stump. Parakh had no answer, and his debut ended with a duck.<\/p>\n
After removing the newcomer, Hazlewood made an immediate impact in the following over, striking twice in consecutive deliveries. First, he sent a 141.4 kph short ball skidding onto the stumps to trap KL Rahul, leaving the batter cramped for space. Rahul\u2019s top edge was taken cleanly by wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma, ending his brief stay on just one run\u2014coming only days after his unbeaten 152.<\/p>\n
On the next ball, Hazlewood widened the angle outside off and went fuller. Sameer Rizvi tried to force the issue, but the batter only managed to nick it away behind, resulting in a golden duck. Tristan Stubbs survived the hat-trick ball, but Delhi\u2019s recovery never really started; he fell quickly when he chased a wide delivery and edged straight to slip.<\/p>\n
Three balls later, Bhuvneshwar struck again, this time using late movement to find another outside edge. Axar Patel was dismissed, and Delhi\u2019s collapse accelerated to 7 for 5 in only 2.4 overs. It marked the earliest any team has ever lost five wickets in an IPL innings.<\/p>\n
Delhi\u2019s slide continued unabated. Hazlewood removed Nitish Rana in the fourth over, and the hosts struggled to build any momentum. By the end of the powerplay, Delhi had managed only 13 runs\u2014registering the lowest six-over total in IPL history.<\/p>\n
Even more telling was the contribution from Delhi\u2019s top six batters: the seven runs they scored together became the second-lowest combined output by a top order in IPL history. Only Kochi Tuskers Kerala\u2019s four-run total against Deccan Chargers in Kochi in 2011 stands lower.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
While the IPL has increasingly become a batter-dominated contest\u2014made even more pronounced by a rise in scores of 200-plus following the introduction of the Impact…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":5834,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"IPL News: Bhuvneshwar, Hazlewood Rout Delhi for Low Total","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Bhuvneshwar and Hazlewood spark a rout as Delhi Capitals collapse to an IPL league-low total\u2014impact sub era or not, RCB\u2019s pressure wins.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5835","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n