IPL 2023: Delhi Capitals redemption continues with stunning win over Gujarat

In the IPL 2023 match between Delhi Capitals and Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, the first 30 minutes of play suggested an inevitable win for the Titans. Thanks to Mohammed Shami’s exceptional bowling performance, Delhi Capitals were struggling at 28-5 after the powerplay. However, the Capitals staged a comeback in the death overs with Aman Khan and Ripal Patel’s fighting performance and their impressive bowling, clinching a five-run win in a thrilling low-scoring match, marking their third victory of the season.

Tewatia blitz not enough

Gujarat Titans’ start in the match was not impressive either, with them being at 31-3 after the first six overs. Khaleel Ahmed began with a wicket-maiden, dismissing Wriddhiman Saha off the final delivery, and later claimed the wicket of Shubman Gill, who played a drive that was caught by a fielder at point, just like Phil Salt in the first innings.

Rahul Tewatia of Gujarat Titans is seen batting during the IPL cricket match against Delhi Capitals in Ahmedabad, India on Tuesday, May 2, 2023. Ishant Sharma then continued the comeback, deceiving Vijay Shankar with a knuckleball, and after the powerplay, Gujarat’s situation worsened. With the top order gone, David Miller’s dismissal was the most poorly advised of all. He tried to sweep Kuldeep Yadav over fine leg, moving across outside off, and missed the ball entirely, resulting in his middle stump being knocked over. Following that, skipper Hardik Pandya and Abhinav Manohar anchored the team to prevent it from collapsing.

Pandya’s fifty was a hard-earned one, reminiscent of Aman’s knock earlier in the match, but neither he nor Manohar – who struggled to score 26 runs off 33 balls – were able to find the boundaries they needed to keep Gujarat in the game. With 33 runs required from just two overs, it seemed as if they had left their charge too late.

Rahul Tewatia, who is known for his ability to finish games, had different ideas. He came to bat when the game seemed to be slipping away from Gujarat and took on Anrich Nortje, hitting three consecutive sixes. He smashed two low full tosses and a pacey delivery that were in the slot, all of which were hit to the leg side, bringing Gujarat back into the game.

In the end, it proved to be an insurmountable task for Gujarat as Ishant Sharma bowled an excellent final over, giving away just six runs without any boundaries. As a result, Delhi Capitals won the match by five runs.

Although Delhi’s fast bowlers were not accurate at the end, often missing their lengths and bowling low full-tosses in search of yorkers, Gujarat’s middle-order batsmen such as Hardik, Abhinav, and later Rashid were unable to take advantage of this and score the required runs.