As Delhi clinched their fourth win of the season, they complicated an already complex points table by shocking Gujarat Titans once again. Unlike their last encounter, this match ended up being a high-scoring encounter where southpaws Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel, Sai Sudarshan and Miller made noise with runs.
Delhi batted first on the flat wicket of Arun Jaitley Stadium after Shubman Gill won the toss. In Delhi’s first innings, Fraser and Shaw made the most of the powerplay restrictions, but Warrier struck and removed both, stagnating the game. As soon as Warrier sent Shai Hope back, Delhi was again at risk of losing the first innings.
However, Axar Patel’s promotion came as a relief for Delhi as he and Rishabh Pant took Gujarati’s spinners to the cleaners. The lefties steadied the ship and built a solid foundation for death overs. Delhi looked set to score 200, but Rishabh’s Pantistic innings brought the score to 224. 
In the chase, Gujarat also started on the front foot and looked like strong candidates after the powerplay with a strong finish of 67 runs. The Delhi spinners slowed things down in the middle overs, causing the Gujarat middle order to collapse. With Rashid Khan’s solid cameo, David Miller nearly pulled off a miracle for Gujarat.
Here are the five moments which defined the high-scoring encounter last night
Axar Patel’s successful promotion
The middle-order muddle in Delhi has been a problem since last year, and this season is no different. However, after Axar Patel’s convincing fifty, they may have found their new middle-order man. In addition to handling the spinners with ease, Patel scored 66 runs, including four humongous sixes. Patel’s promotion was a defining moment for the Gujarati batsman
Stubbs’ charge against Sai Kishore
At the end of the 18th over, Delhi Capitals had 171 runs and just lost Axar Patel. The Gujarat Titans captain gambled a lot by tossing the ball to Sai Kishore to bowl his first over in the crucial stage. Considering Stubbs’ record against spinners, it had a chance of pulling off, but the South African batsman turned into a nightmare for Kishore. In the left-armer’s over, he fetched 22 runs, taking the team total to 193.
Pant’s madness in the last over
After gaining momentum in the death overs while batting, Delhi Capitals needed a thrilling finish, which their captain provided. A Delhi explosive batter scored 31 runs in the last over of the Capital’s inning, which no one could have imagined after losing three wickets in the powerplay. It is all but certain that Pant will be selected for the T20 World Cup after scoring 88 runs in the match.
Rasikh Salam’s breakthrough in the middle overs
While Gujarat Titans were cruising in the run-chase and appeared dangerous halfway through their innings, Salam came as a big surprise. His spell in the middle overs was instrumental and the result would’ve been completely different if they hadn’t struck. He used hai cutters to perfection and sent Shahrukh Khan, Sai Sudharsan and Sai Kishore to Gujarat’s dugout.
Tristan Stubbs’ fielding madness in 19th over
The Delhi Capitals won only by four runs and it wouldn’t have been possible without Stubbs’ late contribution. It wasn’t his batting that won the match, it was his fielding that saved it. Rashid Khan struck a big slog over long-off in the second last two over with 37 runs needed. Stubbs saved five runs that turned out to be the game’s difference after Khan had hit four off the first ball.
With four wins and five losses, Delhi Capitals have now leapfrogged Gujarat Titans in the points table and are now sitting in 6th position. Their next game is against depleted Mumbai Indians, and they hope to gain some momentum. Gujarat Titans, on the other hand, have made life difficult for themselves by having to win at least four out of their last five games to get a chance. They will now play RCB at home.
