<div><b><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Axar Patel starred with bat and bowl and impact sub Mukesh Kumar held his nerve as Delhi Capitals edged Sunrisers Hyderabad by seven runs in a low-scoring Indian Premier League battle on Monday.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The left-handed Axar (34) lifted Delhi from a precarious 62-5 to 144-9 in a gritty partnership of 69 with Manish Pandey (34) on Hyderabad's home turf.</div><div><br></div><div>Axar then returned figures of 2-21 with his left-arm spin.</div><div>Fast bowler Mukesh, who came in under the new impact player rule, defended 12 off the final over to keep Hyderabad down to 137-6.</div><div><br></div><div>It was Delhi's second successive victory after starting the season with five losses. The David Warner-led team stayed bottom of the 10-team heap.</div><div><br></div><div>"I love it here. It's an amazing crowd. I haven't been here for a long time," Warner, after playing at his former franchise, which he led to victory in 2016, said.</div><div><br></div><div>The Australian opener said, "To win tonight, hopefully we can make it three in a row. We've got another against Sunrisers next."</div><div><br></div><div>Hyderabad, led by Aiden Markram, are one place above Delhi on ninth with four points and five losses.</div><div><br></div><div>Delhi's South African fast bowler Anrich Nortje dented the Hyderabad chase as he bowled Harry Brook bowled for seven. Axar soon joined in to cut short Mayank Agarwal's knock on 49.</div><div>Pace spearhead Ishant Sharma and left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav picked up a wicket each to rattle the opposition middle-order before Heinrich Klaasen and Washington Sundar attempted to revive the chase.</div><div><br></div><div>Klaasen fell to Nortje after a 19-ball 31 and Sundar, a left-hand batsman, made an unbeaten 24 but Mukesh and Delhi had the last laugh.</div><div><br></div><div>Delhi elected to bat first but lost half their side, including Warner who hit 21, in eight overs before Axar and Pandey turned the innings around.</div><div><br></div><div>"I ordered for coffee and I left the glass like that, when three wickets fell in one over," man of the match Axar said with a smile. "Pandey and I discussed we need to take it as deep as possible."</div><div><br></div><div>Sundar returned figures of 3-28 with his mystery spin as he struck three times in one over including the wicket of Warner.</div><div><br></div><div>Seam bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar took two wickets and the innings witnessed three run outs. - AFP</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>