Phil Salt put on a masterclass of T20 batting as the Delhi Capitals cruised to a comprehensive win over the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL 2023 clash at the Wankhede Stadium. Salt's blistering knock of 87 runs from just 47 balls powered Delhi Capitals to a total of 190/3 in their allotted 20 overs, which proved too much for RCB to chase down.
Delhi Capitals won the toss and elected to bat first, and their openers Shikhar Dhawan and Phil Salt got off to a solid start, putting on 52 runs in just 5.4 overs. After Dhawan's dismissal, Salt took charge and played a breathtaking innings, smashing seven boundaries and five sixes. He was well-supported by Steve Smith (32) and Rishabh Pant (31*), who chipped in with useful contributions.
In response, RCB never looked like getting close to Delhi's target. They lost wickets at regular intervals and could only manage 148/9 in their 20 overs. Harshal Patel top-scored with 38 runs, while AB de Villiers and Devdutt Padikkal made useful contributions of 27 and 25 runs respectively. However, the RCB batting line-up struggled to cope with the Delhi Capitals' quality bowling attack, which was led by the experienced Ishant Sharma (3/26) and the impressive Avesh Khan (2/25).
The victory was Delhi Capitals' fourth of the season, and it consolidated their position at the top of the IPL 2023 points table. Phil Salt was undoubtedly the star of the show, and his performance earned him the Man of the Match award. Speaking after the game, Salt said, "It's always nice to contribute to the team's victory. I'm happy that my knock helped us get a good total, and then our bowlers did a great job to defend it."
The Delhi Capitals will next take on the Kolkata Knight Riders on May 10, while RCB will face the Chennai Super Kings on May 12.