It was the same old story for Delhi Daredevils once again in the IPL 7. In the final match before a short break in the tournament due to the announcement of 2014 Lok Sabha elections results, Rajasthan Royals prevailed over Delhi Daredevils by 62 runs and became the third team after Chennai Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab to qualify into the Play-offs.
Chasing a mammoth 202, Delhi Daredevils failed to get the start needed for such a huge chase. Their batsmen fell like nine pins. Apart from half centurion Manoj Tiwary, none of the batsmen failed to hold fort which led to their downfall. Stand-in skipper Steven Smith rotated his bowlers well and bowlers responded to their skipper in the right way. Rajat Bhatia took two wickets for the Royals.
After losing the toss, Rajasthan Royals made a pretty decent start to their innings. After losing their first wicket, Rajasthan Royals made a gamble by sending their pinch hitter Kevon Cooper to bat at number 3. The gamble almost paid off for Royals as Cooper struck a 16 ball 32 to provide a solid foundation at the top.
After his dismissal, Sanju Samson and Ajinkya Rahane continued their good work with some fearless batting. Rahane was dismissed by Shahbaz Nadeem for a well-made 64 and was soon followed by Stuart Binny and Samson. Some lusty blows towards the end from Cutting and James Faulkner propelled the Royals to 201-6 in their 20 overs. Imran Tahir and Nadeem took two wickets apiece for the Daredecvils.
Brief Scores: Rajasthan Royals: 201-6 in 20 overs (Rahane 64, Samson 40, Tahir 2-25) beat Delhi Daredevils 139-9 (Manoj Tiwary 61*, Mayank Agarwal 17, Rajat Bhatia 2-18) by 62 runs