At one ball in Jaipur, I felt that the usual script was reloading. First ball six, the crowd up and the thought of another blitz taking shape.
Then Mitchell Starc did what he has done for years. No overreaction, no change of plan. Two balls later, Yashasvi Jaiswal was out and mistimed a high full toss straight back. The noise subsided just enough, and that was the first inning.
RR vs DC: HIGHLIGHTS | SCORECARD
What followed only made it worse. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi never faced the Old Man, which was canceled out by Kyle Jamieson at the other end. RR were 12 for 2 inside 1.3 overs on a pitch that was always 220 plus in play.
From there, the shift continued to move, but never quite took off.
TIMING THROUGH DRAMA
Starc finished with 3 for 40, but the impact was more about timing than numbers.
It was also the bowling unit that gained confidence. After failing to defend 265 against Punjab Kings earlier in the season, the Delhi Capitals attack has come under severe scrutiny. On a level playing field in Jaipur, there was not much support in this either.
Starc quickly changed that story. Starc played his first match of IPL 2026 season (Courtesy: PTI)
His first over disrupted the start but the real blow came in the 17th over. Ravindra Jadeja fell first and was followed by Riyan Parag just a few balls later.
Parag had already put together a smooth 90 and was batting like he was in complete control of the innings. RR looked like he was ready to finish him off. Coming right after Jadeja, this dismissal took away from the innings just when they needed to push.
Two wickets in the same over, both set batsmen gone and RR had to reset again.
On surfaces like this, those little breaks decide whether the total will be 220 or stretch to 240 plus. The RR was still going, but never in one clean stretch.
Starc himself admitted that it was about getting back into a rhythm.
“I think I’ve been good to get a little run in my legs, I didn’t look at a tee for three months until tonight. So it’s getting back to that speed pretty quickly.”
There was no letting up for someone who returned after missing most of the season. It just seemed like he picked up where he left off.
POWERPLAY SET THE TONE
RR recovered to 56 for 2 in the powerplay, which looks solid on paper. But because of how they started, it always felt like they were building rather than dictating.
Contrast that with the Delhi Capitals approach.
Pathum Nissanka and KL Rahul came out with intent and clarity to take DC to 70 without loss in the powerplay. This difference of 20-25 runs without losing wickets completely changed the chase.
DC didn’t have to look for momentum. They already had it.
They didn’t need one big over to swing things. They just stayed ahead.
EXPERIENCE WILL SHOW
The build up was around Sooryavanshi vs Starc. Fireworks were expected.
What was actually played was much simpler.
Starc did not try to dominate the contest. He just stayed in it longer than the batsmen. He absorbed the early hit, struck quickly and returned just as the innings was about to start.
Axar Patel said it best.
“That’s why the way he bowled today is a legend of the game. To come back and perform like that on a wicket like that after three months tells you how big a player he is.”
It’s with you.
Even after time away, even without the match rhythm, the instinct remains the same.
And on a night like this, that instinct is enough.
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– The end
Published on:
02 May 2026 08:19 IST
