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DC's openers did not fire in the powerplay overs. While Hardik got rid of Tim Seifert in the first over, Prithvi Shaw became Lockie Ferguson's first victim. Ferguson took another wicket in the new ball. The Kiwi speedster sent Mandeep Singh back to the pavillion in the 15th over. With 34/3 in fifth over, skipper Pant and Lalit Yadav took charge of the run chase. The two shared a 61-run partnership for the fourth wicket. But Lalit's knock came to an end in the 12th over as he fell short of the crease.
Ferguson overpowers DC batters
Despite the wicket of Lalit, the run chase was on track with Pant firing from one end. Once again, Ferguson got the breakthrough with the wicket of rampant Pant. The left-handed batter scored 43 runs from 29 deliveries. Rovman Powell showed some promise with a few boundaries but did not find support from the other end. Axar Patel and Shardul Thakur registered single-digit scores.
Ferguson put the final nail in the coffin with the wicket of Powell in the 18th over. Kuldeep Yadav and Mustafizur Rahman stayed not out till the end but DC fell short of the target by 15 runs. The former KKR player took four wickets for 23 runs and was adjudged ‘Player of the match’. Even Varun Aaron getting injured after bowling just one over did not trouble Hardik as other bowlers were up to the mark.
Shankar disappoints again
Making his DC debut, Mustafizur Rahman gave Gujarat Titans an early shock with the wicket of Matthew Wade off the third ball of first over. While Vijay Shankar struggled to rotate the strike, Shubman Gill hit boundaries in the powerplay overs to get Titans off to a decent start. Kuldeep Yadav ended Shankar's troubled stay at the crease off the first ball he bowled. Shankar could score just 13 runs from 20 deliveries.
Gill’s IPL best
Gill found a worthy partner in skipper Hardik. Gill got to his 11th IPL fifty off 32 deliveries in the 13th over. In the next over, Khaleel Ahmed came back into the attack and got the wicket of Hardik off the last ball. The all-rounder scored 31 runs from 27 deliveries in the 65-run partnership for the third wicket.
Gill went for a six-hitting spree after Hardik's wicket but missed out on his century. Gill got out for a 46-ball 84 in the 18th over. It was his career-best knock in IPL. The opener's splendid knock included six fours and four sixes. In the end David Miller and Rahul Tewatia's cameos helped Titans post 171/6 in 20 overs. Mustafizur was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets to his name, including two wickets in the last over.
