What happens when pressure meets talent in the heart of Delhi? You get the first Super Over of IPL 2025 — and a match that had everything: late-game drama, ice-cold nerves, and two heroes stepping up when it mattered most. It was an IPL Super Over after four years.
Delhi Capitals beat Rajasthan Royals in a thriller at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, thanks to Mitchell Starc and KL Rahul.
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Asked to bat first, Delhi Capitals posted 188/5. The innings was built around Abhishek Porel’s 49 off 37.
KL Rahul chipped in with 38, and then Axar Patel (34 off 14) and Tristan Stubbs (34* off 18) did the late damage.
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The momentum shifted when Sandeep Sharma’s 23-run final over pushed DC to 188.
Rajasthan Royals looked like they had the game in the bag, with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Nitish Rana doing the bulk of the scoring.
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With 8 runs needed in the final over, it seemed like RR had the game sealed.
Bowling with precision, Starc gave away just 7 runs — to two set batsmen — and forced the first Super Over of the season. Magic. And it wasn’t over yet.
RR batted first in the Super Over and sent in Shimron Hetmyer and Riyan Parag. But once again, Starc was up to the task, keeping them to 11 with clever use of angles and pace variations.
Then came KL Rahul and Tristan Stubbs to chase 12. Against Sandeep Sharma, the pair made short work of it — in 4 balls — with Rahul being calmly aggressive and Stubbs showing clear intent.
Can KL Rahul be any more clutch? He opened the innings, held the middle order together, and walked out again in the Super Over to finish what he started. His adaptability is DC’s biggest weapon.
Starc didn’t just bowl under pressure. He created the pressure. No one else bowls three back-to-back overs at the death, switches angles like a chess master, and dominates both left- and right-handers like this. Cometh the hour, cometh the man.
DC: 188/5 – Porel (49), Rahul (38), Axar (34), Stubbs (34*)
RR: 188/4 – Starc’s final over ties the match
Super Over:
RR bat first – Hetmyer & Parag vs Starc: 11 runs
DC chase – KL Rahul & Stubbs vs Sandeep Sharma: 12 runs in 4 balls
DC win
This wasn’t just a win — it was a statement. DC proved that temperament is as important as talent. With Starc’s heat and Rahul’s ice, they didn’t just win a Super Over — they bossed it.
