In a thriller ending at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday, Mitchell Starc’s heroics in the last over propelled the duel between Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Delhi Capitals (DC) to the first Super Over of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, which the hosts won in an intense thriller. Rajasthan Royals, in pursuit of a modest total, required only nine runs off the last over, but Starc, proving why he is considered one of the world’s best, produced a masterclass under pressure. Giving away only eight runs, he took the game to a Super Over, where the momentum decisively shifted in Delhi’s direction. While RR captain Sanju Samson got injured during the game.
Injury Scare for Sanju Samson
RR captain Sanju Samson began on a solid note and made a 31-run quick-fire off only 19 balls (3x6s and 2x4s) but had to watch the latter half of the inning from the bench as he suffered an injury, spoke about his fitness after the match. The injury scare arose in the sixth over of the RR innings off DC bowler Vipraj Nigam, when he experienced pain in his ribs and retired hurt.
“It feels alright (his injury). I wasn’t just ready to come back and bat. It feels alright now. We will observe it tomorrow and see how it is,” he said.
Sanju Samson Praises Starc’s Heroics
Reflecting on the game, RR skipper Sanju Samson praised Starc’s match-winning performance. “I think as we all saw, some fantastic bowling by Starcy. He is one of the best guys around in the world. I would like to give it to Starcy. He won them the game in the 20th over,” Samson said.
Super Over Drama
In the Super Over, Rajasthan Royals could score only 11 runs, leaving a target of 12 to DC, and Starc was tight there too. Sandeep Sharma was the one in charge with the ball for RR, and KL Rahul and Tristan Stubbs went out to chase for the Capitals. The pair had no hesitation, completing the chase in as many as four balls to take the team through.
Sanju Samson Praises Team’s Performance Despite Loss
Even in the loss, Samson praised his team’s overall performance.
“We bowled well. There were phases when they came hard at us. I would like to give credit to our bowlers and fielders. The energy on the ground was fantastic,” he said.
He also believed that the match was well within their reach.
“I thought that score was chaseable given the batting lineup that we had. The start that we got in the Powerplay. I felt it was a chaseable score,” he said.
Sanju Samson had a special word for pacer Sandeep Sharma, who bowled the Super Over for Rajasthan.
“I think Sandeep has been bowling the toughest overs for us in the last few years. Starcy took it away,” he admitted.
“A win today could have created some positivity in the dressing room,” he added.
