Delhi climbed up to the top spot in the eight-team standing of the ongoing 2019 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) after clinching a thrilling six-wicket win over Rajasthan at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Monday.
Rajasthan, on the other hand, continue to stand at the second-last spot after slumping to their sixth defeat in 10 matches they have played this season.
After being asked to bat first, opener Ajinkya Rahane struck his second ton of the IPL, scoring 63-ball 105 including 11 boundaries and three sixes, while skipper Steve Smith pulled back his second consecutive half-century to help Rajasthan post a mammoth total of 191/ 6 in their stipulated 20 overs.
In reply, the Rajasthan bowlers failed to defend the huge target as Prithvi Shaw (42) and Shikhar Dhawan (54) laid the foundation with an opening wicket stand of 78 runs before Pant 36-ball 78 to help his side cross the mark with four balls to spare.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Chennai, who have dropped to the second spot after their narrow one-run defeat to Bangalore on Sunday, will now take on fourth-placed Hyderabad at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday.
Let us take a look at how the eight teams are placed in the standings ahead of the clash:
| Teams | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | NR | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delhi | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 14 | +0.081 |
| Chennai | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | +0.087 |
| Mumbai | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 | +0.357 |
| Hyderabad | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 10 | +0.737 |
| Punjab | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | -0.044 |
| Kolkata | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 8 | -0.013 |
| Rajasthan | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 6 | -0.470 |
| Bangalore | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 6 | -0.836 |
Orange Cap:
Team Hyderabad opener David Warner continues to stand at the top of the run-scoring chart. He has notched up a total of 517 runs from nine innings he has played this season at a strike rate of 148.56 and average of 73.85.
The Australian opener will look to further strengthen his numero-uno position when Hyderabad will lock horns with Chennai on Tuesday.
Warner's Hyderabad opening partner Jonny Bairstow is standing at the second spot with 445 runs from nine innings at a strike rate of 158.36, ahead of Punjab's swashbuckling opener Chris Gayle who has amassed 421 runs in nine innings.
Meanwhile, Shikhar Dhawan's knock of 54 runs during Delhi's clash against Rajasthan saw him break into top five with 401 runs from 11 innings. The Indian opener's fourth IPL fifty saw him replace fellow countryman and Punjab's KL Rahul, who completes the top-five list with 399 runs from 10 innings.
Purple Cap:
Delhi pacer Kagiso Rabada further strengthened his position at the top of the highest wicket-takers list by bagging two wickets of Stuart Binny and Riyan Parag in the final over of Rajasthan's innings on Monday.
The South African has bagged a total of 23 wickets from 11 matches he has played so far at an economy rate of 7.83.
Chennai spinner Imran Tahir and Bangalore's Yuzvendra Chahal continue to stand at the second and third positions with 16 and 14 wickets, respectively from 10 innings.
The duo is closely followed by Chennai speedster Deepak, who is at the fourth position with 13 wickets at an economy rate of 6.89.
Punjab fast bowler Mohammed Shami completes the top-five list with a total of 13 wickets from 10 innings at a strike rate of 8.70.
Meanwhile, Shreyas Gopal's two wickets during the clash against Shreyas Iyer-led Delhi saw him jump to the sixth spot on the Purple Cap table. He is now standing with 12 wickets from 10 games this season.
