A rampaging David Miller’s momentary indiscretion cost Delhi Capitals dearly as Gujarat Titans won their first game of the season after a thrilling final over in their IPL encounter in New Delhi on Wednesday.
Miller showed his lack of faith in partner Kuldeep Yadav by refusing a single off Prasidh Krishna’s penultimate delivery of the final over. Prasidh then bowled a pace-off slower delivery, which Miller missed, and Jos Buttler smashed down the stumps before Kuldeep could reach the striker’s end.
In their quest for 211, the Delhi Capitals finished painfully short on 209/8, to lose the match by 1 run.
KL Rahul top scored for DC with a 92-run knock that was studded with 4 sixes and 11 fours and it came off only 52 balls.
Rahul put up a 76-run stand off 49 balls with Pathum Nissanka (41) to give the DC run chase a flying start.
Rashid Khan brought GT back into the game with the dismissals of Nitish Rana and Sameer Rizvi off successive deliveries.
Miller then resurrected the DC run chase by smashing 3 sixes and 3 fours in his unbeaten 20-ball 41, but was left heartbroken after his heroics went in vain.
Earlier, Jos Buttler’s six-laden half-century and captain Shubman Gill’s well-executed fifty powered Gujarat Titans to 210/4.
After a dismal T20 World Cup in India, Buttler (52 off 27) finally found his signature form. In addition to Buttler and Gill (70 off 45), the third fifty of the innings came from Washington Sundar (55 off 32).
The former England captain hammered five sixes at the Kotla when he was playing at his best. Mukesh Kumar, a medium pacer who had a poor day after dominating the previous match against the Mumbai Indians, scored four of those maximums (2/55 in 4 overs).
In the fifth over of the innings, Buttler hammered hard at Mukesh, scoring 23 runs with three sixes. Three balls later, he hit the extra cover area. The first was over fine leg as he shuffled across the stumps; the second was a huge hit that reached the top tier of the “Gautam Gambhir Stand.”
The Delhi Capitals reached 68/1 in the powerplay thanks to Buttler’s assault. He was dismissed against the run of play off a long hop from Kuldeep Yadav.
After Buttler left, Gill, who had only watched him bat, took it upon himself to clean the ropes. The Titans captain successfully used the slog sweep against the wrist spinner, hitting four of his five sixes against India teammate Kuldeep.
Washington Sundar performed admirably at number four. Against the spinners, particularly Vipraj Nigam, who gave up 23 runs in the 12th over, the southpaw hit the mid-wicket boundary. Washington hit a six over deep square leg off T Natarajan to achieve his half-century.
The Titans were within striking distance of 220 at 161/2 in 15 overs, but fell just short. The Delhi Capitals’ best bowler was Lungi Ngidi, who finished with economical figures of 1/24 in four overs.
