Nitish Rana scored 51 runs off 28 deliveries and remained at the crease until the 18th over during the chase. Yashasvi Jaiswal also contributed with 51 runs from 37 balls; however, the Rajasthan Royals opted not to send either player to bat in the Super Over against the Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday. Instead, Shimron Hetmyer and Riyan Parag were chosen to bat in the Super Over, a decision that raised eyebrows. Although Jaiswal was set to bat following a wicket, Rana was not included among the three batters designated for the Super Over.

This decision by the Royals backfired, as Mitchell Starc of DC effectively executed yorkers and utilized reverse swing to restrict Hetmyer, starting the Super Over with a dot ball. The Australian bowler misfired on his next delivery, conceding a boundary, but regained his rhythm with a low full toss on the third ball, allowing Hetmyer to take a single.

Riyan Parag then struck Starc's low full toss over third man for a boundary, which was also ruled a no-ball. The match took a significant turn as it appeared that RR would easily surpass 15 runs with three balls left. However, on the subsequent delivery, both Parag and Jaiswal were run out, leaving RR with a mere total of 11 runs.

This total proved insufficient, as KL Rahul and Tristian Stubbs hit two sixes in the first three balls of Sandeep Sharma's Super Over, securing a memorable victory for DC.

In the aftermath of the match, Nitish Rana stated that the decision not to send him in for the Super Over was made by the RR management, who opted for Riyan Parag and Shimron Hetmyer instead. He noted that the narrative would have been different had Hetmyer successfully hit a couple of sixes. Rana emphasized that he had no alternative explanation.

"The management makes the decisions, not just one individual. The captain, along with two senior players and coaches, is involved in this process. If Shimron Hetmyer had hit two sixes, you wouldn't be asking this question. I will provide the same response; I have no other answer. The decisions we made were entirely justified. Hetmyer is our finisher, and that is well-known. He has performed in crucial moments before," Rana remarked during the press conference.

Rana backs Sandeep Sharma for Super Over, credits Mitchell Starc

 The former KKR batsman expressed his support for the management's choice to entrust Sandeep Sharma with the ball instead of Jofra Archer when defending 11 runs.

"Decisions like these are not made by a single individual. The management and support staff collaborate to discuss such matters. Had the outcome been favorable for us, your question would have been different. Cricket is a results-driven sport. If Sandeep Sharma had performed well in the Super Over, as he has previously, he was likely the best option for us in that situation. We fell short by one significant shot, aiming for 15 runs in the Super Over," he stated.

Nitish gave a lot of credit to Starc for delivering the goods in the death overs. Starc restricted Rajasthan to 188-4 after Delhi made 188-5. Starc dismissed Rana in the 18th over before Dhruv Jurel hit back in his 26 and Hetmyer made 15 not out.

With Rajasthan needing nine to win off the final over, Starc limited them to ones and twos before Jurel was run out attempting a second run off the last ball, leaving the teams tied and facing a one-over shootout.

"I think we must give credit to Starc. After a long time, I saw someone bowl like this in the death overs, especially in the IPL," added Rana.

Delhi, led by Axar Patel, got back to winning ways and returned to take top spot in the 10-team table with five victories and just one defeat in six matches.

Rajasthan, who have been chasing the IPL title since their inaugural triumph in 2008 under late Australia great Shane Warne, slumped to their fifth loss in seven matches.

Read Also: Rahul Dravid Unimpressed by Riyan Parag's Failed Bat Test; Experts Question: 'Why the Recheck?'

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