IPL Play of the Day: Mitchell Starc comes in to rip the life out of Rajasthan

They say that T20 matches can be turned around in a matter of overs, but on Sunday, Mitchell Starc bowled one over that completely turned the game on its head. Delhi Capitals beat Rajasthan Royals by five wickets, but the victory might not have been possible had Starc not stepped up at the crucial moment. Without Starc, the Capitals could already be out of the competition and could only play for pride for the rest of the tournament.

With the Royals blazing to 160 for two in 14 overs, they looked good to post a total of around 240. Instead, they failed to even clear the 200-run mark and ended up managing just 193 for eight. The man responsible for this dramatic turnaround was Starc, who broke the Royals’ back by taking three wickets in the 15th over. This spell completely derailed Rajasthan’s innings and left them with little chance of recovery.

Starc finished with brilliant figures of 4-0-40-4 and was deservedly named man of the match. Having played enough cricket at the highest level, stepping up in crunch moments has become almost second nature to him. He’s done it time and time again for Australia, he’s played a huge part in that helping Kolkata Knight Riders to win the IPL title in 2024and now he’s showing his class again for the Capitals.

DC vs RR: HIGHLIGHTS | SCORECARD

HOW MITCHELL STARC IGNITED THE ROYALS

When Riyan Parag took Mukesh Kumar for 23 runs in the 12th over, scoring runs looked all too easy for the Royals. However, Starc pulled it off brilliantly for the Capitals as Rajasthan managed just 33 runs in the last six overs, losing six wickets in the process.

The 15th over started with Dhruv Jurel collecting a single to deep midwicket, but what followed was pure destruction. On the very next delivery, Starc removed the dangerous Parago, who smashed 51 off just 26 balls. Starc cleverly curled his fingers over the off-speed delivery, forcing Parag into an ill-timed pull that was brilliantly caught by Axar Patel, who ran in from long-on.

The carnage immediately resumed as Donovan Ferreira walked in and went for the golden duck. Starc hit a short delivery outside off, Ferreira tried an ambitious first ball but Axar Patel again completed the catch in the deep.

Although Ravi Singh denied Starc a hat-trick with a boundary over midwicket, the Australian had the last word. After another slower delivery, Starc trapped Ravi Singh plumb lbw as HawkEye confirmed three reds.

In the space of six spheres, Starc broke a formidable 72-run partnership and completely derailed Rajasthan’s innings. Later, Starc also dismissed Dasun Shanak who came in as Impact Sub and was more than capable of providing Royals with a brisk finish.

GAVASKAR SECURED BY AN OLD MAN

Starc also impressed the legendary Sunil Gavaskar, who praised the pacer for batting at the most important stage of the innings instead of focusing purely on the number of wickets. Gavaskar highlighted how Starc’s overs completely halted the Royals’ momentum and put them firmly on the back foot after they looked set for a massive total.

“More importantly, he was able to restrict Rajasthan Royals to fewer runs at the back end of the innings. How much of a difference does it make? I think it’s not about the number of wickets you take, but the stage of the match at which you take them,” Gavaskar told television stations after the match.

“Wickets are always important, especially in the overs, where you can grab a couple early and prevent the opposition from getting off to a fast start. But towards the end, if the batting side is already well set two or three wickets down and you come in the 14th, 17th or 19th over and pick up wickets, that’s where it really matters.”

“And Starc did exactly that. Three wickets in one literally put Rajasthan completely on the back foot, to the screen you might say,” Gavaskar added.

Starc has missed the first eight games of the season, yet is only one wicket behind DC’s leading wicket-takers, Axar Patel and Lungi Ngidi, who both have 10 wickets apiece. With nine wickets from five games, the Capitals will need Starc to continue to deliver when they face Kolkata Knight Riders on May 24.

– The end

Issued by:

Amar Panicker

Published on:

18 May 2026 07:36 IST