Top 5 spells in RR-DC matches in IPL history ft. Umesh Yadav

Rajasthan Royals (RR) will be up against Delhi Capitals (DC) in Match 9 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur on Thursday.

The Royals are coming off a clinical 20-run victory over the Lucknow Super Giants in their first game of the season. Batting first, they posted 193 on the board, on the back of Sanju Samson's 82* off 52. Then, Trent Boult picked up two wickets as the Super Giants could only manage 173 in their stipulated 20 overs.

On the other hand, the Capitals faced a loss against Punjab Kings in their recent outing. After being invited to bat, DC compiled a total of 174, led by the efforts of Shai Hope (33). Afterwards, the Kings chased down the score with four balls to spare.

As per the head-to-head record, Rajasthan has a slight edge with 14 wins in 27 encounters. It will be interesting to see if Delhi can manage to even the record on Thursday.

On that note, let's check out the five finest bowling performances in RR-DC matches in IPL history.

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#5 Jaydev Unadkat - 3/15

Left-arm pacer, Jaydev Unadkat, was adjudged as the 'Player of the Match' in the seventh game of the IPL 2021 due to his all-round contribution.

Coming to bowl in the second over, Rajasthan Royals pacer Unadkat deceived Prithvi Shaw (2) with a slower delivery, which was caught by David Miller at point. In his next over, Shikhar Dhawan (9) tried to paddle sweep Unadkat, but was caught in a brilliant fashion by Sanju Samson.

The veteran, Ajinkya Rahane (8) couldn't judge the slower ball of the pacer, and was caught-and-bowled. Then, Rishabh Pant (51) played a valiant knock to help Delhi Capitals post 151/8.

The Capitals bowlers were also impressive to reduce the Royals to 5/42. However, David Miller was terrific with a knock of 62 off 43 to take the team close to the target. In the end, it took the contributions from Chris Morris (36*) and Unadkat (11*) for RR to seal the game in the last over.

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#4 Shane Watson - 3/10

In the inaugural season, Shane Watson certainly showed his prowess as an all-rounder. In the first semi-final against the Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals), the Royals started off in a fine fashion with Swapnil Asnodkar (39) and Graeme Smith (25).

Then, Shane Watson (52 off 29) and Yusuf Pathan (45 off 21) were impressive to help RR post 192 on the board. In response, Watson made an impact in only his second over, dismissing Gautam Gambhir (11). Then, he took the important wickets of Virender Sehwag (3) and Shikhar Dhawan (5) as well.

In the end, Watson finished with figures of 3/10 in three overs, and the Royals won the game by 105 runs to seal their place in the final.

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#3 Imran Tahir - 4/28

South African spinner, Imran Tahir, has been one of the finest spinners in the T20 format, with his tricks and wicket-taking abilities. In the 2015 season, Tahir plied his trade for the Capitals.

The Match 6 of that season witnessed the Capitals posting 184 on the board, with skipper JP Duminy scoring 44* off 38 balls. In response, Rajasthan were off to a fine start, but Angelo Mathews dismissed Sanju Samson (11). Soon, Amit Mishra secured a couple of wickets, followed by Tahir dismissing Stuart Binny (1).

However, Ajinkya Rahane was terrific to ace the challenge of Capitals' bowlers and built a good partnership with Deepak Hooda. In the 16th over, Tahir came into the attack and breached past the defense of Rahane (47) and broke a 72-run stand.

Soon, Tahir also took the wicket of Hooda (54) and James Faulkner (17) to keep the team's hopes alive. However, Chris Moris (13*) and Tim Southee (7*) held their nerve to help Royals secure a victory by three wickets. The Proteas spinner finished with figures of 4/28 in four overs.

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#2 Umesh Yadav - 4/24

In the Match 4 of the IPL 2013, Umesh Yadav's Delhi Capitals faced the Rajasthan Royals in Delhi. The third over witnessed Yadav delivering a slower ball to Kusal Perera (14), who could only manage to get caught at the mid-off. Then, Umesh Yadav broke an important 55-run stand by dismissing Stuart Binny (40), who was looking dangerous with Rahul Dravid.

Dravid was sublime with his patience to steer the team in the right direction. However, Umesh Yadav dismissed Dravid (65 off 51) in the 19th over and followed it by dismissing Brad Hodge (5). He finished with figures of 4/24, as the Royals posted 165 on the board.

In reply, the Capitals chase fell short by five runs, despite David Warner hitting 77 off 56.

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#1 Pawan Negi - 4/18

Pawan Negi ranks first in this list due to his terrific figures of 4/18 in four overs against the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2012. The Rajasthan-based franchise started off in a grand fashion, as Rahul Dravid and Ajinkya Rahane were impressive with their positive approach.

However, Negi put an end to a 71-run stand by dismissing Rahane (42) in the ninth over. Soon, the left-arm spinner got rid of Shane Watson (8), Brad Hodge (1), and Ashok Menaria (1) in quick succession. The Royals finished with figures of 141/6 in 20 overs.

In reply, Virender Sehwag (73) and Kevin Pietersen (36) led the team's efforts to secure a victory for the Capitals.