Pant and Axar star as Capitals cling on to win topsy-turvy thriller over Titans
Rashid nearly took Titans home in pursuit of 225 but Mukesh held his nerve to defend 19 off the last over
Rashid nearly took Titans home in pursuit of 225 but Mukesh held his nerve to defend 19 off the last over
Scorer: Chandan Duorah | Commentator: @himanshu_a30
Another thrilling finish on another high-scoring evening. Batters just can't stop making merry, as boundaries fly and bowlers are left wondering. DC edge past GT tonight after posting a massive 224, and push themselves up to No. 6 on the points table. This IPL is well and truly on, with the mid-table traffic refusing to clear up. And that is it from us tonight, with the action moving to Hyderabad tomorrow. Until then, goodnight and goodbye!
Rishabh Pant, DC's captain, is the Player of the Match for his 88* from 43 balls: "[On giving Salam the 19th over] We have seen Nortje was having a tough time. T20 is a funny game. Especially in the second innings, after the 15th over, the ball was coming on nicely... It will come out some day or it won't. Definitely at 44 for 3, the only conversation between Axar and me was to keep going and target their main spinners. Each and every day I feel better. I give my 100%. Every hour I just love being on the field. Just try to do my best on the field."
Time for the presentations
Amit: "Surely one area to improve here for bowlers is bowling more yorkers. Those were missing in today's match, especially in death overs. That is one of the reasons Bumrah is leading in the format"
Srinath: "That save from Stubbs on 18.2 proved to be the difference in the end! Game of small margins and proves that a game can be won with bat, ball and most crucially on the field!"
Kuldeep Yadav: "Happy to get the win! These two points are very important. Obviously we had a plan. Coach and captain wanted one over [from me] when Tewatia came over [to bat]. You have to read the batsman. We batted well and put up a good total on the board. The line and length mattered a lot. I bowled a few balls to Tewatia at the wicket. I thought he would slog sweep. That was a good plan [in the end], and we got his wicket."
Shubman Gill: "I think we played some really good cricket. Disappointing to lose in the end, but great character shown by everyone. When you're chasing 224, there's not much to discuss. You have to go from ball one, and keep smashing them. Impact Player has a bit of role [in the big scores]. Teams have an extra cushion, so they just keep going. At one stage we thought we will be able to restrict them around 200-210. We gave away a few extra runs in the last couple of overs. But the good thing about chasing is that you know what you are chasing. It's a small ground, and it's chaseable. Execution becomes very important [for bowlers]. If there's nothing in the wicket for the bowlers, then you have to execute your plans - or your yorkers."
Puneet: "Strange that they didn't run the single. Every run counts towards NRR!"
11.12pm Terrific game in the end. DC win by four runs! The missed chances nearly cost DC, who had to hold their nerves right until the last ball of the night. Stubbs saved five runs in the previous over by leaping up and denying Rashid a six, and that eventually ends up making so much difference. GT keep fighting and taking it deep, but unfortunately, fall short by one hit.
5 off 1...
Raj: "Tie??"
11 off 4
GT need 19, and it is down to Rashid
He is the antithesis of what left-hand batters traditionally are: graceful, elegant, effortless. But is effective all the same
Capitals plundered 53 runs off their last two overs, but Titans nearly pulled off a miracle of their own thanks to Rashid Khan
Rashid nearly took Titans home in pursuit of 225 but Mukesh held his nerve to defend 19 off the last over
Gujarat Titans are in sixth place with eight points, while Delhi Capitals are in eighth place with six points