IPL 2023, Gujarat Titans (GT) vs Delhi Capitals (DC): Aman Hakim Khan's 51, Mohammed Shami's 4-11 and Ishant Sharma's 2-23 are top performances. Delhi Capitals beat Gujarat Titans at home. Gujarat remain at top of the table with 6 wins from 9 games.
Brief Scores: DC 130-8 (Aman Hakim 51, Axar 27; Shami 4-11) best GT 125-6 (Pandya 59, Manohar 26; Ishant 2-23) for 5 runs.
Player Of The Match: Mohammed Shami (4-11)
Delhi Capitals Captain, David Warner won the toss on this dry wicket of Ahmedabad and elected to bat first against Gujarat Titans. While Hardik Pandya went ahead with the same eleven, DC made two changes, Rilee Rossouw was back in place of a sick Mitchell Marsh and Khaleel Ahmad made his way back after injury.
Delhi’s Strategic Bowling Leads To Victory Against Gujarat
Gujarat had the best of starts to the innings as Mohammad Shami dismissed Phil Salt for a golden duck, Shami bowled four overs on the trot, picking four wickets and all the DC batters danced to his tunes. DC looked like they had thrown the white town at the seven-over mark with just 32 runs on the board with five wickets down. Axar Patel and Aman Hakim put on a brilliant 50 runs partnership from there on and took DC to 73-6 after 14 overs. It was then the youngsters show as Aman and Ripal Patel showed the world why they are rated so highly in domestic critical with a match-saving 53 runs partnership to anchor DC to 130-8.
DC needed an absolute miracle if they wanted to steal this match, and their bowlers were up for it. Khaleel, Nortje, Ishant, and Kuldeep did precisely what was needed, WICKETS! WICKETS! & WICKETS!. They picked four wickets between them inside the first seven and GT were in all sorts of trouble with just 33 runs on the board. GT captain, Hardik Pandya was the lone sailor on board with all his teammates passed out. A 62 runs partnership between Hardik and Manohar brought life back to the match. Ishant’s experience was displayed in the last over, as he nailed his wide Yorkers and gave just six away to defend a low-scoring win for DC. Only the 2nd loss for GT in 14 matches where they were asked to chase a total.
Read More: IPL 2023, KKR vs GT: Shankar-Miller stand of 87* guides Gujarat to the top of points table
Talking Points from GT vs DC
Ishant’s inclusion has been the jigsaw DC were looking to solve in the bowling department. His experience has come to the party for DC. Khaleel’s up and roaring after the injury and things are looking positive for DC in the bowling, just the batting that needs to click as a unit, which looks like it's just around the corner. Gujarat’s rare, rare, rare failure chasing a game. Hardik being there till the end and still GT losing it would hurt the Titans.
Top three performances from GT vs DC, Ahmedabad
Mohammad ‘Straight seam’ Shami
The man with the most accurate seam position in world cricket right now delivered the best opening spell of IPL 2023 with a wicket of the first ball. A tempting delivery full and outside off, and Phil Salt was trapped playing a beaming cover drive. Mohammed Shami then bowled an absolute magic delivery, a pure test match ball, from over the wicket to the left hander, the ball pitched in middle and leg to the left hander and nipped away taking a thick outside edge of Rossouw to the diving Keeper who took it on his right.
This was also Saha’s 100th IPL dismissal as a keeper. The next in line of Shami’s fire was Manish Pandey, who was squared off completely when the ball pitched outside off seamed away from the right-hander again taking an outside edge to a diving Saha, to the right this time. A full delivery with minimal movement was good enough to dismiss the young Priyam Garg who ended up playing a rash shot, not respecting Shami’s rhythm on the given day. Shami was reaping through batters like the first day of a test match in England. A mesmerizing display of swing bowling, a well-deserved four-for giving just 11 runs away, while bowling a four-over marathon spell.
Aman Hakim Khan finally delivers for DC with a match-saving 51
Aman walked in the sixth over of the game, not as a pinch hitter this time but to save his team from an embarrassing fallout after they had lost five wickets inside the first six. A sensible innings was needed and Aman responded. A well-compiled, no risk 50 runs partnership first with Axar Patel and then changed gears to match Ripal Patel’s momentum stitching 53 runs for the seventh wicket. Aman played against his stature of a big hitter and respected the situation and the opponent bowlers and picked his slots when the bowlers erred. Aman’s 51-run innings were the difference between DC scoring 130 or being folded out inside 100 runs.
The G(old)en Ishant Sharma thrives under pressure
T20 cricket is the game of youngsters they say, well, hold Ishant Sharma’s mic, someone? please? A well-disguised knuckle ball to clean bowled Vijay Shankar gave glimpses into Ishant’s mood today. Throughout his four-over spell, Ishant was economical and the Willey old customer was at his very best defending just 12 runs in the last over against the likes of Rahul Tewatia and a well-set Hardik Pandya. He had his plan as clear as a crystal, full and outside off wide yorkers to Tewatia who would look to sit down and ramp it over cow corner. Ishant outsmarted Tewatia with an into-the-wicket delivery and dismissed the dangerous finisher and calmly delivered six runs over to win the game for DC.
Points Table Scenario & What's Next
No change whatsoever in the points table as DC still remains at the bottom even after this win and GT continues to be on top with a +0.532 NRR. LSG will take on CSK at the Ekana stadium on 3rd May 2023, 7:30 PM IST.
IPL 2023 Points Table
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