Delhi Daredevils defeated Rajasthan Royals by 14 runs in an IPL encounter held at Bloemfontein on Sunday (May 17). The defeat against Daredevils has placed Rajasthan Royals in the fifth spot on IPL table and they are now in a die or do situation with only one match remaining in hand. Electing to bat first after winning the toss, the Delhi team posted a challenging total of 150 runs for the loss of three wickets in 20 overs. South African elegant batsman, A.B. de Villiers once again showed his class by scoring unbeaten 79 runs off 55 balls.

 

De Villiers smashed eight fours and one six in his brisk knock. He was well supported by Tillakaratne Dilshan (33) and Dinesh Karthik (23 not out). De Villiers and Dilshan put onto a partnership of 87 runs for the third wicket that helped Delhi team to cover the early loss of Virender Sehwag (2) and Gautam Gambhir (8). Chasing a challenging total of 151 to win, Rajasthan Royals started their on a disastrous note by losing Graeme Smith (0) and Rob Quiney (6) at the very early stage.

 

The Jaipur team kept on losing wickets at regular intervals and in the end made 136 runs for the loss of nine wickets. Johan Botha (37) was the top scorer from Royals' side. From Daredevils, Amit Mishra took three wickets while Farveez Maharoof claimed two. Ashish Nehra and Derek Nannes got one wicket each. While Rajasthan Royals were fielding, as many as two catches were put down at the crucial period of the match. A.B. de Villiers was declared the man-of-the-match for his sensational batting particularly at the final stage of the innings.