For the second night in a row, a team was held low after choosing to strike first in an IPL 2023 match. And for the second night in a row, a low total was successfully defended.
On Monday, it was the Royal Challengers Bangalore in Lucknow who recorded a thrilling victory. On Tuesday, it was the Delhi Capitals’ turn to rejoice as the struggling franchise stunned the Gujarat titans in Ahmedabad.
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Chasing 131, GT finished with 125/6 from 20 overs as DC came back with a confidence-boosting five-point win – their third victory in nine attempts this season.
Like DC, GT also suffered a top notch collapse as they were reduced to 32/4 in 6.4 overs. A partnership between Captain Hardik Pandya and Abhinav Manohar followed which brought them back into the competition.
Pandya hit a half century fight while Manohar was dislodged on 26 of 33.
With Manohar out, DC began to tighten their grip before Rahul Tewatia hit three straight sixes against Anrich Nortje in the 19th.
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GT needed 12 to win from the final, but Ishant Sharma kept his nerves by allowing just three runs on his first three deliveries. And then he got the better of Tewatia by making him take extra cover on the 20th.
However, the contest was still alive with eight points needed from two and Rashid Khan on strike. Ishant allowed three remaining deliveries to seal the win.
Mohammed Shami had produced a fire spell before Aman Khan recorded his first T20 fifty as DC huffed and puffed at 130/8.
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Playing flawless lengths, Shami (4/11 in four overs) was deadly with the new ball as he cut the wind from the Capitals’ first order.
Aman fought a lonely battle for Delhi, scoring 51 of 44. His innings were peppered with three hits to the fence and as many over.
After going for the bat, Delhi again suffered a dramatic collapse, losing five wickets for 23 runs in five overs and at the center of it all was Shami.
The veteran Indian pacer set the tone of the match by hitting the first pitch of the match to get Phil Salt for a golden duck.
A horrific mix-up between youngster Priyam Garg (10) and skipper David Warner (2) cost Delhi the Australian’s wicket in the second round.
Rilee Rossouw (8) was next to go as Shami struck once more. The veteran Indian induces a slight movement away from Rossouw. An outside edge drove the ball straight into the hands of wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha as Delhi fell to 16 for three.
As Shami kicked off a tight opening period, captain Hardik Pandya decided to continue playing point guard and the move paid off. Shami continued his streak of taking wickets in his third innings, making up for two in his final.
The Indian threw a wobbly seam delivery, tempting Manish Pandey (1) to drive him in, but the late move meant the ball found the edge of the bat and Saha completed a superb one-handed catch diving to his right.
Shami’s final kill of the night was Garg with Saha once again completing another hold behind the stumps.
With half the team back in the dugout, the Capitals, who are bottom of the points table and need to win this game to stay alive in the playoff hunt, were teetering 28 for five at the End of Powerplay.
Axar Patel (27), who was promoted in order, and Aman stemmed the rot with some much-needed runs but pacer Mohit Sharma (2/33) broke the 50-run partnership by catching the vice wicket -president of Delhi. captain.
Aman punished Mohit Sharma in the 16th, reaching a limit after the short third and a thin-leg flat six as DC closed in on the 100-point mark.
The uncapped Aman conjured up a well-deserved half-century in 41 balls.
With PTI inputs
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