Morris gives bang for buck in late six-hitting blitz

Chris Morris, the most expensive signing in the history of the Indian Premier League auction, has proved his worth with a dazzling display of six hitting that powered the Rajasthan Royals past the Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League.

Plenty of eyebrows were raised earlier this year when the 33-year-old South African allrounder was bought by the Royals for a record fee of AUD $2.8 million in the IPL auction.

But he demonstrated just why he is worth so much when he turned Thursday's game after the Royals had at one point been in desperate trouble at 5-42 chasing Delhi's 8-147. 

Fellow South African David Miller had lit up the chase with 62 from 43 balls, before Morris completed the stunning comeback with four sixes in the final 10 balls of the match to steer his side to victory with two balls to spare.

Both innings followed a similar pattern; four of Delhi's top five and five of Rajasthan's top six failed to reach double figures as the Capitals slumped to 4-37 and the Royals to 5-42.

Delhi had been on course for a second win in their second match as Chris Woakes, Kagiso Rabada and Avesh Khan destroyed the Rajasthan top order.

But Miller smacked seven boundaries and two sixes and was also helped by a decision to not hand Ravichandran Ashwin a fourth over despite him conceding just 14 runs from his first three.

Instead it was Australian Marcus Stoinis, who had been out for a duck in Delhi's innings, who was handed the ball and he was smashed to the boundary by Miller off three consecutive deliveries and conceded 15 from the over.

Stoinis was the only Australian on the park as Steve Smith was again not selected by Ricky Ponting's Delhi Capitals side, while Andrew Tye missed out for Rajasthan.

Needing 27 to win from the final 12 balls, Morris smashed Rabada for sixes over mid-wicket and long leg in the 19th over, and then clouted Tom Curran over deep square twice, the second time for the winning six.

Delhi also didn't start well when they batted, as left-arm medium-pacer Jaydev Unadkat took out their top three - Prithvi Shaw for 2, Shikhar Dhawan for 9, and Ajinkya Rahane for 8.

Skipper Rishabh Pant, who came in at 2-16 in the fourth over, settled the nerves with 51 off 32 balls, including nine boundaries.

There was also some good lower-order hitting from Curran (21) and Woakes (15 not out) as Delhi reached 8-147.