**35th IPL Encounter: Delhi Capitals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad**
The match was hosted at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, on April 20, 2024, where the Delhi Capitals won the toss and opted to bowl first.
**Teams:**
*Delhi Capitals (Playing XI):*
David Warner, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Abishek Porel, Rishabh Pant (w/c), Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel, Lalit Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Anrich Nortje, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar
*Sunrisers Hyderabad (Playing XI):*
Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen (w), Abdul Samad, Nitish Reddy, Shahbaz Ahmed, Pat Cummins (c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mayank Markande, T Natarajan
**Impact Substitutes for Both Teams:**
*Sunrisers Hyderabad Subs:*
Umran Malik, Anmolpreet Singh, Akash Maharaj Singh, Glenn Phillips, Washington Sundar
*Delhi Capitals Subs:*
Prithvi Shaw, Shai Hope, Praveen Dubey, Rasikh Dar Salam, Sumit Kumar
**First Inning:**
Out to open, Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma provided a fiery start for Sunrisers Hyderabad. They aggressively took on the bowlers, especially in the initial overs. Sharma made a quick 46 off 12 deliveries, including 2 boundaries and 6 sixes, until Kuldeep Yadav broke this partnership. Head showed no signs of slowing down, rattling off 89 runs from 32 balls with 11 boundaries and 6 sixes, though Kuldeep halted his century charge. Following their departures, Nitish Reddy and Shahbaz Ahmed kept the scoreboard ticking, adding valuable runs. Kuldeep showcased his talent by dismissing key batsmen such as Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Aiden Markram, and Nitish Reddy, ending with figures of 4-0-55-4. Reddy contributed 37 runs off 27 balls with 2 fours and 2 sixes , and Ahmed blasted 59 runs from 29 deliveries with 2 fours and 5 sixes . Ultimately, Sunrisers Hyderabad set a formidable total of 266-7.
**Second Inning:**
Prithvi Shaw started off positively but was soon dismissed by Washington Sunder. Warner fell to a surprise delivery from Bhuvneshwar. Jake Fraser-McGurk displayed no mercy, reaching a half-century in just 15 balls. He alongside Abishek Porel were devastating against the bowling attack, with Markande halting their onslaught. Fraser-McGurk amassed 65 runs off 18 balls, and Porel added 42 from 22. Despite the fall of wickets, Rishabh Pant tried to steady the innings, scoring 44 runs in 35 balls. Delhi Capitals ended up short, all out for 199, with Natarajan standing out for his 4-1-19-4 bowling figures. Other contributors included Mayank and Nitish Reddy with two wickets apiece, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Washington Sunder with one each.
For his remarkable performance, Travis Head was named Player of the Match. This victory marked Sunrisers Hyderabad’s fourth consecutive win, pushing them to second in the points table due to their balanced team effort. Key players included Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Reddy, Shahbaz Ahmed, and T Natarajan.
As for Delhi Capitals, they couldn’t reach the expectations. Kuldeep Yadav briefly turned the game in their favor, but the rest of the bowlers failed to make an impact. Fraser-McGurk and Abishek Porel’s partnership was a highlight, but the team’s momentum faded after the 12-13th over, leading to their downfall in the final over. This loss placed Delhi Capitals at the seventh position on the points table.