Stubbs Steals the Show, Starc Seals the Deal in IPL 2025 Epic
If IPL 2025 needed a blockbuster, Delhi Capitals vs. Rajasthan Royals delivered a stadium-shaking match. At Arun Jaitley Stadium, where 200-plus has grown habitual, DC pulled off a Houdini act.
In a match that twisted like a thriller novel, Tristan Stubbs’ fearless end and Mitchell Starc’s yorker magic changed the impression of a Rajasthan win right into a Super Over spectacle. And subsequently, a DC victory, pushing them to first place in the points table.
Let’s unpack this dramatic showdown and the way it influences the road ahead in IPL 2025.
When Routine Became Ridiculous
Nine runs. Six balls. Six wickets in hand.
That’s all the Rajasthan Royals wanted. The match should have been in their bag. But then got here Mitchell Starc. The veteran left-arm quick, who was smashed early within the innings, returned like a very last-act villain in a thriller. With 5 out of 6 deliveries touching down as lethal yorkers, he snatched the match from the jaws of defeat.
Dhruv Jurel, cool under pressure all season, couldn’t get two off the final ball. And just like that, we have been heading right into a Super Over within the capital.
Super Over Meltdown for Rajasthan
The Royals blinked.
Parag ran out. Jaiswal is run out. Five balls, two wickets, 11 runs. Their Super Over dream collapsed in seconds. The pressure became too much. Delhi, wanting 12, made it seem like backyard cricket. Stubbs ended it in style, smashing Sandeep Sharma for six with ice in his veins.
Game over. Points table shaken. Stubbs is a hero.
Stubbs Strikes Gold Under Pressure
He came in last. That’s all Rajasthan needed to seal the win. But they didn’t. Tristan Stubbs made them play tough. Not only did he hammer an unbeaten 34 off 18 balls within the very last overs, but his calmness stood out.
With DC desiring 5 from 3 in the Super Over, Stubbs just stepped back, pulled a period ball into the stands, and walked off with a grin. Before that, he helped DC smash 42 runs within the very last 3 overs, reviving a flat innings.
He wasn’t done. In the field, his long throw saved two runs within the very last over. These are the small moments that separate top players from splendid ones.
Axar and Starc: The Silent Game-Breakers
While Stubbs grabbed the spotlight, Axar Patel quietly orchestrated the momentum shift. Coming in whilst the innings changed into stalling, he took on Wanindu Hasaranga with fearless cause. His 34 off 14 most effectively lifted the scoring. However, it also rattled the Royals’ bowling rhythm.
And then there’s Mitchell Starc, who deserves a separate section in cricketing. He flipped the match in his last over. Starc showed elite-degree composure. His very last over became a masterclass in death bowling. No drama. Just devastating yorkers, every one tighter than the closing. He became the reason for DC winning the match.
RR’s Unraveling: From Dominance to Despair
Let’s rewind a chunk. Rajasthan had been cruising. Jaiswal had launched into Starc while Samson and Rana were settling in properly. But just whilst things seemed set, Samson pulled up with a suspected aspect injury. Two shots earlier than that, he had smashed a four and a six.
Momentum paused. DC pounced.
Nitish Rana was given an existence using Stubbs, one that he transformed into 51 off 31. But his dismissal to a searing Starc in-swinger proved essential.
From there, RR lost grip under stress. Hetmyer and Jurel couldn’t locate boundaries. The very last over yielded no fours or sixes, the most effective drama.
DC’s Wobbly Start and Middle-Order Revival
DC wasn’t always in control. Fraser-McGurk fell early. Karun Nair, riding high from a previous knock, lasted simply for 3 balls with no runs. He was bounced out and run out—a double blow.
Enter Abishek Porel, who turbocharged the beginning with 23 off a single over from Tushar Deshpande. He changed into brilliant form early but could not sustain the momentum, falling agonizingly short of one run for half a century.
KL Rahul, too, couldn’t convert. After a slow start on a complicated floor, he controlled a 32-ball 38 before pulling Archer to deep midwicket.
But once more, DC’s middle order rose. Axar, Stubbs, and late cameos grew to become a sub-par 160 general right into a competitive 188. Just enough for Starc to work his magic.
IPL 2025: What This Means for Delhi and Rajasthan
With this 5th win in six matches, DC storms to the top of the desk. Their mixture of gritty batting, explosive finishing, and death-over brilliance is peaking at the proper time. This team has appeared the most in super overs, and the last was also with DC vs. SRH in 2021. Following that, April 16 marks another historic moment of a super over.
Rajasthan, meanwhile, must regroup. Injuries to Samson, dropped catches, and tactical errors cost them what should’ve been an easy win. They remain within the mix, but with harder matches in advance.
Heartbeats & Yorkers: The Perfect Finish
This match may be remembered now not just for the Super Over, but for the feelings, chaos, and comebacks that described each phase. Stubbs and Starc gave the fire up while it mattered most. Starc’s tactic was thrown at the death over, and a super over made him the player of the match. Rajasthan cracked under the spotlight. In a season like this, DC confirmed why resilience frequently beats momentum.
Bookmark this match. It’s an IPL 2025 classic.
