IPL 2024, DC vs GT, Key Takeaways: Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel's stand overpower David Miller and Rashid Khan's cameo. Delhi Capitals beat Gujarat and move to 6th place.
Brief Scores: DC: 224/4 (Rishabh Pant 88*, Axar Patel 66, Sandeep Warrior 3/15) beat GT: 220/8 (Sai Sudarshan 65, David Warner 55, Rasikh Salam 3/44) by 4 runs.
Player of the Match: Rishabh Pant 88* (43)
Two sides that are desperately looking for some sort of momentum in their respective campaign, Delhi Capitals (DC) and Gujarat Titans (GT) took on each other at Delhi on Wednesday, April 24. In the reverse game held exactly a week back, Capitals won by six wickets.
A Rishabh Pant special coupled with a responsible career-best score by Axar Patel paved DC to a huge total of 224/4 despite a poor start. Titans nearly pulled off a successful run-chase thanks to fifties from David Miller and Sai Sudharsan, but DC held their nerve to clinch the game by 4 runs.
Key Takeaways from DC vs GT, Match 40, Winning Team (DC)
Pant-Axar bail DC out after a poor start
Capitals had yet another torrid start to their batting innings losing both their swashbuckling openers Prithvi Shaw and the in-form Jake Fraser-McGurk in quick succession. Shai Hope followed suit in a couple of overs as DC lost three wickets for 44 runs within the powerplay.
Axar Patel who was promoted up the order was joined by DC’s skipper Rishabh Pant and the duo had a task in hand to not only stabilize the innings but also drive them to a decent total. The pair did just that as they added 113 runs for the fourth wicket. Moreover, it came in just 68 balls.
Axar played the role of the aggressor in the early part, reaching his second IPL half-century in 37 balls and then it was the Pant show at the end. The skipper stroked 30 runs off his bat in the final over to give DC a monumental total of 224 to defend, a score that looked highly unlikely at the start.
Key Takeaways from DC vs GT, Match 40, Losing Team (GT)
Sandeep Warrior looks promising with the new ball
The hosts were rocked early with three quick wickets and all of them succumbed to Sandeep Warrior. The pacer who just bowled a single over in the last game once again took the new ball, but this time made it talk.
After an expensive first over which went for 12 runs, Warrior came back strongly, removing the dangerous Fraser-McGurk in his second over before accounting for Shaw in the same. In what was his final over, the pacer scalped West Indies batter Shai Hope to reduce DC to 44/3. Though he didn’t get to complete his spell, Warrior’s opening spell should give GT a much-needed relief as far as the new ball woes are concerned.
GT need more from Shahrukh Khan
The former champions brought the hard-hitting batter Shahrukh Khan in the auction owing to his finishing skills. He was seen as someone who could replace Hardik Pandya. But the 28-year-old has disappointed big time in this IPL with just 30 runs in 4 innings. Even in this game, he failed to contribute.
With David Miller going guns at the other end, had Shahrukh stayed a little longer, things could have been different. But it was not to be as the visitors lost by mere 4 runs and this makes one think, what is Shahrukh’s role in GT’s line-up and is it time to move past him?
Statistical highlights from game 40, DC vs GT
Sandeep Warrior (3/15) of GT registered his best figures in T20 cricket.
Capitals’ total of 224/4 is the highest against GT in IPL history and their third highest total overall.
DC scored a massive 97 runs in their last five overs and this is the second most runs by a team in that phase in IPL.
Mohit Sharma’s figures 0/73 is the most expensive for any bowler in IPL.
Points Table Scenario and what’s next to come
With this win, Delhi Capitals move to sixth place with 8 points from nine games and their next outing is at the same venue against Mumbai Indians (MI) on April 27. GT dropped a place to seventh with the same number of points as DC. They face Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at home on Sunday.
Up next in the league, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) face off against the Royal Challengers at the former’s backyard in a South Indian derby.
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