Bottom-placed In Ahmedabad, Delhi Capitals surprised everyone by defeating the league leaders Gujarat Titans. They did this by first surviving Mohammed Shami’s brutal four-wicket haul and then successfully defending it against a team that doesn’t lose many games when chasing. In 14 run-chases, GT has lost just twice. The fact that the standings remain unchanged even after the outcome indicates the difference between the teams this season, but DC was clearly the superior team overall on the night.
What kind of harm did Shami do with the new ball?
At 23 for 5 following the powerplay, GT was once in trouble. With the new ball, Mohammed Shami was unstoppable and bowled four overs for 4 for 11. If DC was seeking a break from the new ball, it didn’t exist. Shami continued to bowl from one end, utilizing the slight bit of juiciness in the pitch in opposition to David Warner’s unexpected choice to bat first. With the first ball of the game, he struck, out-swinging Phil Salt and catching him at cover. Wriddhiman Saha, who had yet another outstanding day behind the stumps, caught all three of the ensuing wickets of Rilee Rossouw, Manish Pandey, and Priyam Garg behind the stumps.
DC reaches 130 thanks to Aman Hakim Khan
In addition to the four wickets that Shami took, David Warner was unfortunate to get run out during the powerplay. As a result, DC lost half of their team in just six overs, and recovery from that point seemed unlikely. It did come in the form of Aman Khan, who scored his first IPL fifty and worked with Axar Patel and Ripal Patel to establish significant fifty-run stands. In the middle overs, Noor Ahmad and Rashid Khan bowled eight combined overs for 1-48, but Aman assisted in scoring 41 runs off Mohit Sharma and Joshua Little from overs 16 to 18, bringing DC to a total that was worth pursuing.
DC responds similarly with the ball
DC bowlers gained from the pitch what Shami did. Saha was caught behind in the first over by Khaleel Ahmed, who gave it the necessary start. Before Ishant bowled Vijay Shankar with a knuckleball, Anrich Nortje forced Shubman Gill to play away from the body and had him caught at the cover point. Dale Steyn referred to this wicket as the “best knuckleball wicket” on Twitter. The innings had to be stabilized by Hardik Pandya’s half-century, but GT had given themselves too much work.
Spinners advance the game
Tonight, Kuldeep Yadav bowled slowly and erratically, and it paid off in his first over. On the third ball he faced, David Miller attempted a ramp shot and lost his stumps. Axar Patel’s pressure at the other end let Kuldeep conclude with 1 for 15, which was a success. In actuality, GT managed just 48 runs and one boundary from overs 7 to 15. In the final five overs, when timing the old ball on a large ground wasn’t the easiest, their slowdown really cost them.
Nearly another Rahul Tewatia finish
Yes, it was exactly what we had previously seen. With GT behind the eight-ball as he entered the crease, he hit three consecutive sixes off Anrich Nortje in the penultimate over, cutting the target to 12 runs off the last over. Tewatia didn’t quite have another six in him that night, and DC trusted Ishant Sharma with the duty. He was grabbed on the ring by Ishant, giving his team an unexpected victory.