The Delhi Capitals (DC) secured a convincing victory over Gujarat Titans (GT) in a low-scoring affair in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 match on April 17. DC's bowlers, particularly Mukesh Kumar, Ishant Sharma, and Tristan Stubbs, were instrumental in dismantling the IPL 2022 champions on their home ground. Captain Rishabh Pant was all praise for Delhi Capitals after the stunning win over Shubman Gill's GT.
Notably, Rishabh Pant's DC clinched their biggest win ever in terms of balls remaining in IPL history, defeating the Titans with a whopping 67 balls to spare. This impressive win propelled them up the IPL 2024 standings, landing them comfortably in the sixth position.
Meanwhile, speaking after the win, Pant, in the post match presentation, said:
“A lot of things to be pleased about from this win. We spoke about the champions mindset and our team spoke about it. (Best bowling effort of IPL 2024?) It is definitely one of the best. It is still early in the tournament and we can still improve from here. (Pant behind the stumps and with the bat) The only thought process before coming on to the field was that I wanted to come back in a better way”.
“Only thought I had, when I was doing my rehab. Each and every match, I am loving the process and being on the ground. (Chasing 90) The only conversation was to get it as early as possible because we lost few net-run-rate points in some other games where we lost. we just want to enjoy one win at a time. They are hard to come by but you have to enjoy each and every moment,” he added.
How the match unfolded?
DC dominated GT in a thrilling encounter on Wednesday. Winning the toss, DC elected to field first, and their decision proved wise. Despite a valiant knock of 31 runs from 24 balls by Rashid Khan, the highest score for GT, the Titans struggled to build partnerships. DC's bowling attack, spearheaded by Mukesh Kumar (3/14), Ishant Sharma (2/8), and Tristan Stubbs (2/11), was on fire, restricting GT to a paltry 89 runs in just 17.3 overs.
Chasing a modest target, DC got off to a flying start thanks to a quickfire 20 off 10 balls from Jake Fraser-McGurk. However, they hit a slight hurdle in the middle overs, losing a few wickets. Captain Rishabh Pant (16*) and Sumit Kumar (9*) displayed excellent composure, guiding DC to a comfortable victory with 67 balls remaining and six wickets in hand. Pant's impressive performance behind the stumps, in addition to his captaincy, earned him the well-deserved 'Player of the Match' award. This win propelled DC to the sixth position in the points table with three wins and four losses. Gujarat Titans, despite having the same record, slipped to seventh due to a lower net run rate.
DC will next face Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on April 20 while GT will take on Punjab Kings (PBKS) on April 21.
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