Hardik Pandya’s Gujarat Titans’ (GT) made it two in two when they beat a strong Delhi Capitals (DC) by 14 runs in Match 10 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, at MCA Stadium, Pune.
Shubman Gill (84 in 46 balls) and Lockie Ferguson (4-28) were the key architects of GT becoming the second team, after Rajasthan Royals (RR), to win a match this season after batting first. Even in the points table, they are now placed below their neighbouring state, Rajasthan, at the second spot.
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If Gill made all the difference in GT’s batting with his highest T20 score, their pace battery pulled off the improbable, with Ferguson achieving his best bowling figures in the IPL.
With captain Rishabh Pant and Rovman Powell at the crease, DC required 54 off six overs with six wickets in hand at one stage. Then the turnaround happened.
Gujarat Titans 171/6 in 20 overs
After opting to bowl, Delhi immediately pushed Gujarat on the back foot, dismissing Matthew Wade off the third ball. Wade’s ramp shots off Shaheen Shah Afridi to finish the 2021 T20 World Cup semi-final is for cricketing folklores. Here, attempting the same off another left-arm pacer, Mustafizur Rahman, he found a faint edge to Pant’s gloves. It took Pant a late, smart review to get the dismissal.
Vijay Shankar (13 off 20) at No. 3 added little value for GT. As Gill produced sublime strokes to keep his side in the hunt, Shankar struggled to break free as GT managed only 44 in the Powerplay.
Kuldeep Yadav castled Shankar with his first ball right after the Powerplay. He then deceived Hardik Pandya with a wrong-un, taking his outside edge between the wicketkeeper and slip.
Gill and Hardik (31 off 27) stitched a crucial 65-run stand from 47 balls. Both batters were removed by Khaleel Ahmed, a bowler with an uncanny knack for picking top-order and crucial wickets.
Despite the blinder from Gill and another brisk knock from Rahul Tewatia (14 off 8), GT did not get as many runs as they would have liked to. Mustafizur’s final over went for four, with two wickets falling.
The plight of the GT’s innings reflects in the following stat:
- Gill and Tewatia: 98 off 54 balls
- Others and extras: 73 off 66 balls
Delhi Capitals 157/9 in 20 overs
For Indian fans, it was a matter of joy to see Hardik share the new ball with Mohammed Shami. The icing on the cake was the wicket of Tim Seifert off his first ball.
DC’s innings was just in its recovery mode when Ferguson struck with his extra pace, dismissing Prithvi Shaw (10 off 7) and Mandeep Singh (18 off 16) in the fifth over. DC were left tottering at 43/3 after the Powerplay.
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After a disappointing outing against Mumbai Indians, Pant made amends with a fluent 29-ball 43, displaying excellent skills square of the wicket. He and Lalit Yadav (25 off 22) added 61 in 41 balls to put DC’s innings back on track.
Then Lalit got involved in a mix-up and lost his wicket to a run out. With 54 required off six overs, Pant perished, trying to hook Ferguson. Delivered at over 100 mph, Ferguson’s express pace once again made the difference. Axar Patel, who was brilliant with the bat in the last game, started with two fours before being another victim to Ferguson’s short-pitched tactic.
Rashid Khan sent back Shardul Thakur in the following over, reducing the equation to 38 from four overs.
With 29 runs required from 17 balls, Shami trapped Rovman Powell (20 off 12) leg-before. With the next ball, he had Khaleel fell caught behind. Laden with quality and raw pace, GT had sealed the game in Shami’s over. Hardik bowled a three-run penultimate over to finish with 22/1 from his four overs. Kuldeep ensured DC lasted all 20 overs, and did his bit to better their net run rate with a last-over six.
One alarming fact for DC is that Shardul Thakur and Axar have gone wicket-less in their two matches, going for 8-0-89-0 and 8-0-77-0, respectively.
Brief scores:
Gujarat Titans 171/6 in 20 overs (Shubman Gill 84; Mustafizur Rahman 3-24) beat Delhi Capitals 157/9 in 20 overs (Rishabh Pant 43; Lockie Ferguson 4-28) by 14 runs. Player of the Match: Lockie Ferguson.