Hooda blitzkrieg powers Royals to a thrilling victory over Delhi

Deepak Hooda struck a belligerent half-century to lead Rajasthan Royals to a thrilling three-wicket win over Delhi Daredevils as the hosts suffered their 11th straight defeat in the IPL,  on Sunday.

Chasing 185 for a win, Royals rode on Hooda’s 25-ball 54 to achieve the target on the last ball of the innings. Put into bat, Delhi rode on a 45-run opening start by Mayank Agarwal (37) and Shreyas Iyer (40) to post a challenging 184 for three in 20 overs.

But even on a day that belonged to the 19-year-old Hooda, Delhi spinner and man-of-the-match Imran Tahir made his presence felt with a four-wicket haul.Delhi leg-spinners Tahir (4-28) and Amith Mishra (2-32) shared six wickets between them to put all the roadblocks they could but No.8 and No.9 batsmen Chris Morris (13 not out) and Tim Southee (7 not out) held their nerves to manage 12 required runs from the last over.  

Brief scores: Delhi Daredevils 184/3 in 20 overs (Jean-Paul Duminy not out 44, Shreyas Iyer 40, Mayank Agarwal 37; Chris Morris 2/35) lose to Rajasthan Royals: 186/7 in 20 overs (Deepak Hooda 54, Ajinkya Rahane 47; Imran Tahir 4/28).