Right then, that is it from this one-sided affair where Delhi cruise past Gujarat. The action in the Indian T20 League 2024 continues on 18th April, Thursday when Punjab takes on Mumbai. That game will begin on 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT), but as you know, you can always join us early for all the build-up up to the match. Until then, cheers and goodbye!
Rishabh Pant, the victorious skipper of Delhi is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH. He says there is a lot of things to be positive about. Adds that they talked about having a champion mindset and it showed in this game. Mentions that this was their best bowlimg performance this season. Ends by saying that they want to enjoy one win at a time.
Shubman Gill, the Gujarat captain, says that their batting performance was pretty average. Adds that they need to move on and think about the next one. Mentions that the wicket was alright and it had nothing to do with the pitch. States that poor shot selection cost them the match. Ends by sharing that they have won three games at the halfway stage and need another 5 wins from 7 games to go further..
Presentation Time...
Jake Fraser-McGurk is up for a chat. He says that he wanted to get to a fast start to boost their Net Run Rate. Adds that he wanted to keep going as long as he can but didn’t come off today. Shares that the wicket was good and the balls came pretty well. Mentions that it is surreal when they hear Ricky Ponting in the dressing room. Shares that they got confidence and are aware about their business. Ends by sharing that finishing the game early was always on the card and glad it came off that way.
Earlier in the game, Gujarat posted the lowest total in this season. Rashid Khan was their top-scorer with 31 runs which says it all about their performance. Delhi were all over them with Mukesh Kumar being the pick of the bowlers with three wickets while Ishant Sharma and Tristan Stubbs got a couple each. Axar Patel and Khaleel Ahmed also chipped in with one each. While chasing, they did lose a few wickets, but it was a walk in the park for them.
Delhi are still alive in the tournament while Gujarat needs to win most of their upcoming games to have a chance to qualify for the playoffs. Things are getting interesting in the Indian T20 League as any team can beat anyone at any point of time now.
Gujarat, on the other hand, just did not have enough runs on the board. However, they still managed to put a bit of pressure on their opponents but it was never going to be enough. Sandeep Warrier on his debut picked up a couple of wickets while Spencer Johnson and Rashid Khan chipped in with one each. However, ultimately they had to suffer one of their biggest defeats.
Delhi got off to flier with Jake Fraser-McGurk hitting a few lusty blows including a six on his very first ball. He got out unfortunately but Abishek Porel and Shai Hope continued the momentum and scored quickly. The former perished but got his team in a good position of chasing this total down quickly to improve their NRR. Rishabh Pant stayed till the end along with Sumit Kumar and finished things off in just 8.5 overs.
DELHI DOMINATION! A fantastic all-round performance from them and they have blown away Gujarat at their own den. This will give them a lot of confidence to go further in the tournament. Shubhman Gill will be very disappointed with this result as they were never really in the game and took a massive hit to their NRR as well. They will need to go back to the drawing board and come back stronger in the next one.
In over# 9
4
0
0
4
0
Noor Ahmad 14/0(1.5)
8.5
4
FOUR! A streaky way to finish the game for Delhi! The visitors have got a massive win tonight by nailing the target inside 9 overs. Flatter on the middle. Sumit Kumar goes for the pull but gets an inside edge that goes past the keeper, races to the ropes for four runs. Delhi win by 6 wickets.
8.4
.
Flatter googly, going away. Sumit Kumar cuts and misses.
8.3
.
Slider, across the batter. Sumit Kumar heaves across the line but fails to connect.
8.2
4
FOUR! THRASHED! Shortish and wider outside off. Sumit Kumar stays back and hammers it through extra cover region for a cracking boundary.
8.1
.
Tossed up full on middle. Sumit Kumar defends it forward.
In over# 8
0
0
2
6
1
1
Rashid Khan 12/1(2)
7.6
.
Tosses it on a length, just outside off. Pant guides it to backward point. Delhi are just 6 runs away from a big win.
7.5
.
Full and quick at the stumps. Pant mistimes the heave and gets an inside edge to short fine leg.