Australia's World Cup hero Mitchell Starc has continued his blistering Indian Premier League return, taking three wickets to help the Royal Challengers Bangalore hand the Delhi Daredevils a 10-wicket thumping.
Starc took 3-20 from his four overs - the best figures of his IPL career - as he combined with a fiery Varun Aaron (2-24) to dismiss the Daredevils for a paltry 95 at Delhi's Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium on Sunday.
It was the lowest team total of the tournament, and openers Chris Gayle (62 not out) and captain Virat Kohli (35 not out) took advantage, launching a forceful assault to make short work of the modest target in 10.3 overs.
Starc put Delhi on the back foot in the first over of the match, sending down a yorker to dismiss Shreyas Iyer lbw for a duck.
From there the hosts never recovered.
While it was the Daredevils' fourth defeat in seven matches, Bangalore's emphatic victory puts their IPL campaign back on track.
The side's recovery in form after successive defeats to Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians, has coincided with Starc's return from injury.
The left-hander has played just three games since returning from a knee problem sustained during Australia's World Cup final win over New Zealand, yet he is already the equal sixth-leading wicket-taker among all bowlers in the IPL.
Starc's latest performance follows Friday's man-of-the-match three-wicket haul in the Royal Challengers' nine-wicket drubbing of the Rajasthan Royals.
"The way Mitch picks up wickets is a moral-boosting thing for the whole team," Kohli said after the match.
"It lifts the whole side.
"We cannot get complacent and relax, we will get some good rest and will continue with this momentum."
Fellow Australian Nathan Coulter-Nile hit a four in his eight-ball stay for Delhi, but was given out lbw after missing a slower ball from David Wiese.
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