Rahul and Stubbs star as Delhi claim thrilling six-wicket win against Bengaluru

[p]Chasing 176, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/delhi-capitals/tv8Qjdkq/"]Delhi[/a] rode a composed innings from ‌Rahul, who marked his birthday with a fluent 57 ‌off 34 before Stubbs applied the finishing touches, ensuring the target was ‌overhauled with a ball to spare.[/p][p]Put in to bat, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/royal-challengers-bengaluru/ObLbexsS/"]Bengaluru[/a] opener ‌Phil Salt marked his presence with a half-century to set the tone, but regular wickets in the innings prevented the hosts from accelerating and they ‌finished on 175-8 in oppressive heat.[/p][p]Bengaluru struck ⁠back early in Delhi's chase, with ‌pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar delivering a telling power-play spell that accounted for three ​quick wickets, leaving Delhi under pressure at 50-3 inside six overs.[/p][p]Local favourite Rahul, however, steadied the innings by striking ​six fours and two sixes in his knock and allowed others to play without pressure despite challenging batting conditions.[/p][embed guid="3d310fe8-59b5-456b-a3d5-ef091e323cca" url="https://x.com/IPL/status/2045505115671699657" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]"We didn't want to take it too deep, we just wanted to stay ​positive... and try to put pressure on the bowlers,"[/b] Rahul said at the post-match presentation.[/p][p][b]"There was faith in Stubbs and (David) Miller. They do this on a ​daily basis for South Africa and franchise cricket."[/b][/p][p]Stubbs shifted the momentum decisively, seizing control with an unbeaten 60‑run knock to tilt the contest firmly in Delhi's favour, with steady support ⁠from captain Axar Patel before he ​was forced to retire hurt on 26.[/p][p]Miller (22 off 10) sealed the victory by striking the winning runs, ensuring there were no late alarms.[/p][p][b]"I didn't want to take it into the last over. I knew we were going to do it, I didn't know how. But thankfully Miller ‌was at the other end. It's his bread and butter," [/b]said Stubbs, who was named player of the match.[/p][p]The win lifted Delhi to fourth in the standings with six points, while Bengaluru's defeat dented their push at the top of the table, keeping them second on eight points.[/p][p]The match marked a milestone for the hosts, who became the first team to play 100 IPL matches at a single venue - the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Former Australia captain Allan Border was among the spectators, watching his first-ever IPL match.[/p][p]Earlier, Bengaluru openers Salt and Virat Kohli began briskly, but the tempo dipped when Lungi Ngidi struck in his opening ‌over to dismiss Kohli for 19 off 13 balls.[/p][p]Salt, the hosts' top scorer, then took ​control with a fluent 63 off 38 deliveries, before Tim David added a lively ‌26 off 17.[/p][p][b]"We were 15-20 runs short. The way we started, especially VK bhai (Virat Kohli) and Salt, they gave us a good start. Then we started losing wickets and it put us on the back foot,"[/b] said Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar.[/p][p]Delhi bowlers including Ngidi, Kuldeep Yadav and Patel also did a reasonable job in checking the ⁠run flow, with all three picking off ⁠two wickets apiece.[/p][p]Delhi next face Sunrisers ‌Hyderabad on Tuesday, while Bengaluru host Gujarat Titans on Friday.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/cricket/delhi-capitals-tv8Qjdkq/royal-challengers-bengaluru-ObLbexsS/?mid=6aZILRy0"][b]Check out the full scorecard here[/b][/a].[/p]