In a dominant display, Gujarat Titans emerged victorious with seven wickets to spare against Delhi Capitals. Jos Buttler’s unbeaten knock of 97 runs and Sherfane Rutherford’s contribution of 43 runs propelled the Titans to a total of 204 for 3. Kuldeep was the only Delhi Capitals bowler who managed to make an impact, taking one wicket for 30 runs. Despite solid performances from Axar Patel (39) and Ashutosh (37), Prasidh Krishna’s impressive figures of 4-41 restricted the Capitals to a total of 203 for 8.
The end of the match proved tense for Gujarat Titans (GT), but Jos Buttler’s unbeaten 97 secured their first successful chase of a 200-plus total in Ahmedabad. It was also the initial occasion where Delhi Capitals (DC) failed to defend a 200-plus total.
Buttler first teamed up with B Sai Sudharsan for a 60-run partnership, and later joined forces with Sherfane Rutherford to add 119 runs to the scoreboard. This was all accomplished after he had spent 20 overs behind the wicket on a sweltering afternoon.
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Mukesh Kumar’s well-placed delivery got the better of Rutherford, putting GT in a position where they needed ten runs from the last over. The excitement was short-lived when Starc failed to hit another yorker and Tewatia took advantage by hitting a six towards midwicket on the first ball. He followed it up with a four through a narrow gap past the keeper, securing the win for his team with four balls remaining.
Buttler triumphs over Starc.
Buttler overcame being hit on the groin by a length ball from Starc early in his innings, and managed to clear the boundaries.
In the 15th over, Axar called Starc back into the game in search of reverse swing from an around-the-wicket angle. Despite delivering good lengths and keeping a line outside off, Buttler effortlessly sliced through the ball and managed to find gaps both in front and behind point.
Despite altering the angle, there was no change in the outcome. Starc bowled a full delivery that was powerfully driven past mid-off. He then followed it up with a bouncer which resulted in a top-edged pull, but unfortunately for him, Vipraj Nigam could not quite reach it as he sprinted in from deep backward square leg. This eventful over added 20 runs to the total and reduced the required run rate to nine from 11.
Once again, GT’s top order lays the foundation for success.
GT is known for their top-heavy lineup. Today, on a pitch that favored batting, it was Buttler’s turn to step up and carry the team deep into the innings, as per their game plan of having one of the top three do so.
After Shubman Gill was dismissed by Karun Nair while attempting a quick single, Buttler joined in GT’s pursuit of 204. He proceeded to showcase an impressive display of fours on the off side, along with Sai Sudharsan.
Axar and Vipraj opened the bowling in the powerplay, but unfortunately did not generate any spin. This resulted in them conceding three sixes and a four. Sai Sudharsan, on the other hand, expertly hit boundaries with both front and back foot shots against Mukesh Kumar, allowing GT to score 67 runs during this phase of the game.
Kuldeep Yadav made Sai Sudharsan pull to deep midwicket with his third delivery. As the required rate increased, Rutherford began his innings cautiously. However, he found relief from the mounting pressure when he struck a sliced drive against Kuldeep that cleared long-off. In the 13th over, Mohit Sharma came on as a bowler, playing a similar role as he had for GT in previous years. He opened with two slower bouncers but Rutherford was quick to pull them for sixes.
Buttler expertly hit a full delivery from Mohit towards mid-off, resulting in his fifty off just 32 balls.
The Capitals have a strong beginning on a belter.
In the afternoon, Gill made the call to put DC in to bat after winning the toss. Due to Faf du Plessis still being unable to play and Jake Fraser-McGurk not included in the lineup, DC opted for Abhishek Porel and Karun Nair at the top.
The beginning of Porel’s inning displayed his range as a batsman, hitting an up-and-over drive towards mid-off and a flick behind square with some assistance. This was evidence that the pitch had consistent bounce. However, Porel was unable to take advantage of the opportunity, as he was dismissed by a full toss from Arshad Khan.
KL Rahul’s change in approach resulted in DC maintaining their momentum. He slashed Siraj for a four and drove him for a powerful six. Unfortunately, Prasidh Krishna ended his innings at 28 off 14 balls with a well-placed yorker. Nair, on the other hand, was dismissed for 31 off 18 balls as he guided Prasidh to deep third.
Tristan Stubbs showed off his pristine cover drive against Prasidh, hitting DC’s hundred in the ninth over. However, during their 53-run partnership on 36 balls, both he and Axar took a more conservative approach. They opted for singles and doubles against Rashid Khan and Ishant Sharma.
In Rashid’s initial two overs, he delivered quicker balls aimed at the stumps. However, in his third over, he opted to reduce his pace. This change benefited Stubbs, as he was able to hit a six down the ground. Unfortunately for him, he then attempted a shot across the line and ended up miscuing it. Rashid made an effort to retrieve but was unable to grasp the catch around mid-on. As a result of this, GT achieved a score of 150 within 15 overs.
Pacers store direct current
Pacers hold DC
After two overs, Ishant was struggling in the heat and had to leave the pitch. In his place, Siraj came back and successfully took out Stubbs with a reverse-swept yorker that landed in the hands of short third.
In an effort to seal their victory, GT’s bowling team utilized a combination of yorkers and short balls in the 17th over. Their strategy seemed promising until Rashid dropped Axar, potentially costing them the game.
The DC skipper, after failing to score a boundary in his previous nine deliveries, was dismissed for 39 runs off 32 balls when he attempted to hit a length ball over cover. Unfortunately, he only managed to get an edge which was caught by Prasidh. In the next delivery, Prasidh claimed another wicket, this time Nigam’s, with a spectacular diving catch by Buttler.
Ashutosh Sharma provided DC with the final push they needed, showing impressive skill by hitting a six and a four against Arshad at the beginning of his innings. He then added two more sixes off Prasidh later on. In the last over of the innings, R Sai Kishore gave away a mere nine runs, but it was still sufficient for GT to reach their target of 200.
