Match Review

You can check out the scorecard and Match Tracker Here.

Following Jason Roy’s dismissal, Delhi had their two main Indian forces - Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant - to have a few good cracks on the ball. The duo combinedly faced 12 balls to collect 27 runs - an eventual differentiator that took them above the 200-run mark. In hindsight, it can be viewed that the heavy target played a part in Melbourne Stars losing their way in the run-chase.

Highs and Lows

Glenn Maxwell has the ability to put the fear of god into any opposition line-up and in a big chase, the role of Big Show is definitely big. But what transpired today was a listless and clueless stay in the middle in which he looked a shadow of his illustrious self. On a surface, Jason Roy batted like a dream, Maxwell could only manage 34 runs off 30 balls. Not done, Maxi!

Rating Charts

In the entirety of the SRL, the duo of Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw have been utterly dominant upfront thanks to the cushion they have lower down the order in the form of Shreyas Iyer and Jason Roy. But the story was a bit different today, with the duo deciding to insert themselves first, before taking any kind of risks, a trait that resulted in a total of 42 runs in the first six overs. For the way they approached their innings in the next 14 overs, I don't really blame them for that, but that doesn’t add to their ratings.

After the disastrous bowling performance, it was paramount for the BBL side to be at the top of their game in the run-chase with a very good powerplay but things turned bleak for them at the end of it. The way Marcus Stoinis batted in the last BBL, the hope was on him to turn the game on its head but his dismissal showed the gulf between the two sides - and possibly, the gulf between two leagues too.

Once they found their feet in the ball flew and this time, it was Jason Roy who did most of the damage. The English opener ensured a total black-out right from the start of the 7th over with Shikhar Dhawan, slow yet ahead of the curve, played with caution. The combination of two different rationalities put the Stars off guard, with the Delhi-based franchise adding 98 runs in the nine-over period.

64 runs and the loss of another three wickets, including that of Glenn Maxwell, is self-explanatory in many counts. This was the phase that put Melbourne Stars off the game and there was no looking back for the Delhi-based side. The moment Maxwell was dismissed, the little amount of hope that the Aussie side harboured was nipped in the bud. Nick Larkin and Seb Gotch did try to salvage some pride but that was too late too little. 

It was the kind of death bowling by the Stars that would not please Glenn Maxwell one bit. 65 runs were leaked even though Nathan Coulter-Nile managed to get rid of Roy, with Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant playing two mini cameos. It was a really disappointing performance from the Stars unit which propelled the IPL side over 200. 

The match was all but over when the death over arrived but that doesn’t take away from the fact how brilliant the Delhi bowlers were in the five-over period to finish off an utterly dominant win. Melbourne lost their five wickets even before the 20-over period came to a close, with the side facing the fury of Kagiso Rabada and Ravichandran Ashwin. This was spectacularly brilliant.

There have been fleeting moments of happiness, as has been the norm in any T20 match, but that was all about it. The game only gets an Average rating thanks to Jason Roy’s magical batting display - something we have come to associate the Surrey opener with since his debut.