Brief Score: Sunrisers Hyderabad (242/2 in 20 overs) beat Delhi Capitals (195/9 in 20 overs) by 47 runs.
SRH vs DC, IPL 2026: MAIN | SCORECARD
Hyderabad is always in the conversation when it comes to being one of the food capitals of India. Be it biriyani or kebab, more than the taste, it is the smell that attracts people. On Tuesday, Abhishek Sharma decided to step in as head chef and served up a special that left the Orange Army asking for seconds and the Delhi capitals with a bitter aftertaste.
Abhishek’s unbeaten 135 off 68 balls ensured SRH secured their third win of the season and moved back into the conversation for the play-off spots. But for Delhi Capitals, it was a combination of poor ball calls by the captain and a lack of fire in the power play that ended their chances of winning.
In SRH’s case, the bowlers once again took to the runway, using slower deliveries and clever variations to ensure that DC were never really in the hunt for the target.
Eshan Malinga was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 4 for 32 in his four overs and was well supported by Sakib Hussain and Dilshan Madhushanka early on before Harsh Dubey took three wickets for 12 in his two overs as Delhi failed to build on the momentum from their win against RCB. With their third win in a row, Hyderabad moved to third place above RR in the points table.
DC LOSS OF FIRE EARLY IN CHASE
DC started their chase slowly before KL Rahul opted to bowl Nitish Reddy in the second over and got 13 runs from it.
But they suffered an early jolt when Pathum Nissanka lost to compatriot Dilshan Madhushanka. Nitish Rana started with a boundary and quickly took up the task of scoring, punishing Reddy for 16 runs in the third over of the innings.
However, much like Delhi’s traffic jam, DC’s innings soon slowed down, with just 14 coming off the last two overs. The block that formed between overs 5 to 7 basically left Delhi chasing the match for the rest of the innings.
This was the stage where they needed to set the platform for the chase. But Delhi managed just 59 runs with Rahul sitting on 22 off 13.
It was probably a go-or-go-home moment for Rahul, but the boundaries started to dry up. Nitish took the responsibility of increasing the run-rate, taking on young spinner Shivanga and getting 19 from the eighth over.
Rahul finally found some relief with a six off Reddy, but it was the last boom before his flame went out. Sakib Hussain got his man and that triggered a mini collapse for the visitors.
Nitish got to his fifty to show there was still life in the chase but fell just after Rahul’s wicket. And the Orange Army had even more to cheer about when Malinga cleaned up David Miller for a duck.
Sameer Rizvi and Tristan Stubbs tried to save the game with their 59-run stand, but once the latter fell, the contest was well and truly over.
AXAR, DC ENHANCED BY HARM CALL
The talk of teams being adamant when it comes to matches is something we have seen a lot in the IPL this season. If you look at the PBKS vs LSG match on Sunday, Rishabh Pant became his victim as he allowed Priyansh Arya and Cooper Connolly to run amok.
In Uppal, Axar Patel won the toss and elected to bowl first, knowing the pitch was high-scoring and believing his side would have the advantage of batting second with some weather around.
Mukesh Kumar bowled the first over but then everyone was surprised to see Nitish Rana come in for the second over. But the idea was clear: Abhishek was fighting off-spin in the 2026 T20 World Cup.
But Abhishek outsmarted the DC by biding his time against Rana, who is nothing but a temp. In fact, it was the first time in 13 matches that a Delhi batsman rolled his arm.
And his second over was proof that Axar had miscalculated as Abhishek and Travis Head smashed him for three sixes to give him 20 runs.
If the DC skipper wanted to spin early, he had the option to stand up or use Kuldeep Yadav against Travishek. By the time DC attempted some damage control, SRH had already reached 67 in the powerplay.
Axar and Kuldeep came with Abhishek well set and the head showing signs of renaissance. The DC skipper was hit for several sixes by Travishek before sending the Aussie opener back to the pavilion.
Nitish’s third over was less costly but it was almost as if Abhishek and Ishan Kishan were saving a broken show for Kuldeep Yadav. A left-arm wrist spinner scored 22 runs in the 11th over and Abhishek welcomed back his old Sunriser with a beautiful swing for a six.
Mukesh’s attempt to restrict runs also failed as Abhishek collected 13 runs.
Natarajan would have felt lost when he had a chance to dismiss Abhishek in the 14th over as Nitish threw away a good chance. He was made to pay for it in the very next over, his last, when Abhishek cashed in and got to his hundred with a couple of sixes before unleashing another celebration. At the time it almost felt like a response to all the slogger comments.
While Kishan was unluckily run out at the bowler’s end, Abhishek ensured that Nitish’s final run of the match ended on 23.
His figures: 4-0-55-0.
And it was only the second time that Nitish had crossed his full quota of overs in his IPL career.
Ngidi brought some order to proceedings with a six-run third over, but by then DC were staring at a massive chase. And that was the second big lapse that Axar and DC made. After bowling two overs in the over, the in-form South African was only brought back after 15 overs.
Ngidi is known for disrupting partnerships, but Axar held him in the last five overs when scoring looked to be easiest on the track.
Klaasen joined in on the action with a quickfire 37 to provide the final momentum as 20 runs from Mukesh took off and the score of 242 was posted.
In the end, Axar and Kuldeep bowled just two overs each, taking one wicket and conceding 53 runs together. Had Captain DC reversed himself or his partner earlier, the outcome might have been different.
Either way, they now head home to welcome a successful PBKS to the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday, April 25. On the same day, SRH will head to the Sawai Mansingh Stadium to take on RR, hoping to carry that winning momentum forward.
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Published on:
21 Apr 2026 11:28 IST
