Shimron Hetmyer blasted an unbeaten half-century but the Delhi Capitals came up just short of victory over the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League earlier today.

Chasing 172 for victory after RCB had scored 171 for 5 from their 20 overs, Delhi, needing just over 8.5 runs an over, were 92-4 going at 7.4 runs after 12.4 overs with Prithvi Shaw (21), Shikhar Dhawan (6), Steven Smith (4) and Marcus Stoinis (22) all back in the hutch.

Needing 80 runs to win at more than 11 runs an over, Hetmyer and team captain Rishabh Pant, set about the RCB bowling. The former, who was unbeaten on 58 at the end, smashed six fours off the 48 balls he faced.

At the other end, the young Guyanese batsman was more destructive, clobbering two fours and four sixes off 25 balls.

He was particularly brutal to Kyle Jamieson off whom he smashed three sixes in the 18^th over that yielded 21 runs as Delhi closed in on a possible victory.

Only 11 came off the 19^th over, leaving Delhi 14 runs shy of their target. However, despite their best efforts, they only managed four runs from the first four balls bowled by Mohammed Siraj. Pant hit the bowler for consecutive fours off the last two balls but one of them needed to have been a six and that left Delhi two runs short of the target at 170 for 4.

Though disappointed at the loss, Pant was full of praise for Hetmyer.

“Feeling disappointed. I think they were 10-15 runs extra on this wicket but ‘Hetty’ played a brilliant innings. Because of him we got close,” he said.

“When we had 14 or 16 to go, we were planning that whoever has strike has to go for it.”

 He felt his decisions regarding his bowlers while RCB batted cost his team the victory.

“We counted the overs really well but in the end the spinners didn’t get the help we thought they would, that’s why I went with Stoinis for the last over. It’s good to take positives from all matches; as a young team we want to improve each and every day,” he said.

Earlier, RCB were sent to bat and were in a spot of bother at 60-3 midway the ninth over with their talisman Virat Kohli out for 17.

However, Man of the Match AB de Villiers was a mix of caution and aggression, hitting three fours and five sixes in his unbeaten 42-ball 75 to take RCB to 171-5. Glen Maxwell chipped in with 25.

RCB’s fifth win of the season took them 10 points atop the standings. Delhi’s second loss of the season sees them sitting third in the standings on eight points.