DC vs GT, IPL 2024: Delhi Capitals retain playoff chances with high-scoring thriller against Gujarat Titans

It was a day of celebration for the left-handed batsman at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday as Delhi Capitals kept alive their playoff qualification hopes with a four-run win over Gujarat Titans.

After 224 after heroics from Rishabh Pant (88, 43b, 5×4, 8×6) and Akshar Patel (66,43b, 5×4, 4×6), B. Sai Sudharsan (65, 39b, 7×4 , 2×6) and David Miller (66,43b, 5×4, 4×6) helped the hosts. 55, 23b, 6×4, 3×6) kept DC on their toes but the visitors fell just short of extending the total.

The Titans’ chase took an early hit when skipper Shubman Gill bowled a ball to Akshar at mid-off but Wriddhiman Saha and Match · Sai Sudharson continued to pile on the pressure, picking up runs at a fair pace in the powerplay.

Sai Sudarshan took advantage of favorable clashes with Akshar to keep the runs flowing after introducing the spin. Saha scored 39 off 25 balls when he tried to hit Kuldeep Yadav at cover, but Azmatullah Umarzai departed soon after and fell to Aksa.

Pacer Rashikh Salam then further dented GT’s hopes by dismissing Sudharan and the dangerous Shah Rukh Khan – the latter of whom was dropped by a great catch by Pant. However, Miller’s blitzkrieg and Rashid Khan and R Sai Kishore’s cameos ensured that the crowd was excited till the last ball.

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Earlier in the day, DC opener Jack Fraser-McGurk continued his hot start pattern by attacking Sandeep Warrier.

The Tamil Nadu bowler stuck to his plan – clever positioning by the square-leg fielder led to the Australian’s collapse. GT secured the top spot in the Warrior Powerplay competition by knocking out Prithvi Shaw and Shai Hope.

With the Afghan spin twins in action, Pant and Akshar ensured they were not pinned down, with the pair counter-attacking en route to a 113-run stand. Akshar was eventually bowled out by Noor Ahmed, who took a simple catch to Sai Kishore while attempting a length ball.

At the other end, Pant’s onslaught against Mohit Sharma continued till the final over as he set the record for the most expensive bowling in the IPL with 31 runs and helped DC to a substantial score.