IPL 2023, GT vs DC: Delhi Capitals defeated defending champions Gujarat Titans by 5 runs to keep their hopes alive in the playoffs race for the 2023 Indian Premier League. Aman Khan (51), Ishant Sharma (2 for 23) and Khaleel Ahmed (2 for 24) were the stars for DC in a thrilling victory.
In Short
- Delhi Capitals defeated Gujarat Titans by 5 runs in Ahmedabad on Tuesday
- Ishant Sharma starred with 2 for 23 for DC while Aman Khan scored 51
- GT captain Hardik Pandya top-scored in the match with 59 not out
By PosterGuy: Ishant Sharma stayed calm in a tense final over as Delhi Capitals defended 130 to shock defending champions Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. GT needed 12 runs off 6 balls but the experienced Ishant gave away only 6 runs and picked dismissed the hard-hitting Rahul Tewatia to script a sensational victory for the bottom-placed DC.
Hardik Pandya played a captain’s knock and remained unbeaten on 59 in a low-scoring thriller but there was not much support from the top-order. His plan to drop anchor and let the lower-order finish in a flurry of sixes almost paid off but Tewatia’s dismissal in the final over dashed the Titans’ hopes. After the match, Hardik said he took full responsibility for not being to able to finish the chase.
Delhi Capitals have kept their hopes of a playoffs berth alive with their third win in nine matches but they still have a lot of work to do.
Delhi Capitals were 23 for 5 at the end of 5 overs and chasing 131, Gujarat Titans were 26 for 3 at the same stage of their innings. After the Powerplay, David Miller was also sent back to the pavilion for a duck with GT precariously placed at 32 for 4.
It was inexplicable batting by the top-order of both teams. Wriddhiman Saha was slammed by Sunil Gavaskar on air for his poor shot-selection as he chased a widish delivery from the left-arm Khaleel Ahmed and was dismissed for a 6-ball duck. Shubman Gill, GT’s brightest batting talent, was the next to go when he hit a half-volley from Anrich Nortje straight to Manish Pandey at cover while Vijay Shankar had no clue to a superb slower ball from Ishant Sharma. All of a sudden, Gujarat Titans were in a tangle in pursuit of a low total. And then in the 7th over, David Miller played an unbelievably poor shot to Kuldeep Yadav to bag a three-ball duck.
TEWATIA’S SIXES AND ISHANT’S HEROICS
The onus was now on GT captain Hardik Pandya and Abhinav Manohar who steadied the innings but there came a point when they needed to take care of the soaring required rate. With 30 balls left, GT needed 52 runs and had the likes of Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan still to come in to bat. Hardik and Abhinav did not take any risks and the equation came down to 37 off the last 3 overs. Khaleel struck immediately in his final over to remove Abhinav Manohar as Tewatia joined Hardik who had reached his 10th IPL fifty. Khaleel bowled a brilliant over before Nortje came on to bowl the penultimate over; Tewatia stayed cool and hit the South African pace for three successive sixes to leave GT with 12 to win off the final over.
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