Stubbs scored an unbeaten 60 to guide Delhi Capitals to victory after losing three early wickets against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Bengaluru on Saturday, he walked in with his team reeling at 18 for 3 in the powerplay after Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s devastating spell.
The home crowd roared with chants of 'Bhuvi, Bhuvi' while Virat Kohli at gully urged on his fielders.
Bhuvneshwar followed with an outswinger that had earlier troubled Sameer Rizvi, but Stubbs remained unmoved, watching the ball closely before opening his bat late to drive through covers for four.
Stubbs did not find the boundary for the next twenty deliveries but showed patience as KL Rahul counterattacked at the other end.
He admitted after the match, 'I wasn't quite ready in the changing room.' He praised Rahul’s 'magnificent' batting and recalled the team’s pre-match plan to bat in partnerships, adding 'he's going well, so just give him the strike.'
The Chinnaswamy pitch was far from easy, with Stubbs describing the ball as 'little bit slow, a little bit low.' His strategy remained clear: absorb pressure, evaluate the match situation, build partnerships, and extend the innings.
Stubbs combined with KL Rahul for a 69-run partnership off 44 balls, followed by a 47-run stand with Axar Patel.
He accepted a supporting role in both partnerships and waited for Royal Challengers Bengaluru to exhaust their key bowlers even as the required run rate climbed past twelve per over.
In the eighteenth over, he struck Bhuvneshwar for a pull over deep midwicket and then smashed Rasikh Salam down the ground to reach his fifty off 41 deliveries.
His unbeaten 60 came off 47 balls with a control percentage of 93.6, the highest among batters facing over ten deliveries.
Stubbs said, 'I kept thinking three sixes and we're straight back in it.' He noted Royal Challengers Bengaluru ‘bowled their guns out quite early’ and felt the last over could always be salvaged.
'Worst case, the last over we can get whatever we need,' he added. 'I didn't want to take it to the last over, but thankfully we got over the line.'
The win snapped a two-game losing streak for Delhi Capitals and kept their season on track.
Before this game, only eleven wins had come when teams lost three or more wickets in the powerplay while chasing scores between 170 and 220 in the IPL (excluding rain-affected matches).
With Stubbs’ unbeaten 60, Delhi Capitals became the twelfth team to achieve this rare feat, ending a two-game losing streak and preventing an early exit from the season.