Dubai: Delhi Daredevils’ 19-year-old wicketkeeper batsman Rishabh Pant stole the thunder cracking a spectacular whirlwind 97 runs.
Pant, along with Sanju Samson, whipped the Gujarat Lions bowling through breezy knocks and ensured their team a stunning seven- wicket victory.
They chased Gujarat’s imposing total of 208 for 7 and reached the target with 15 balls to spare at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground .
The pair put on a 143 runs partnership in 10.3 overs with a shower of sixes. Pant’s 97 came off just 43 balls with six fours and nine sixes. Samson’s 61 came off 31 balls with no boundaries but seven cleanly hit sixes.
Delhi lost their first wicket for 24 when opener Karun Nair fell for 12. Pant went for his shots right away and reached his half century in 27 balls. Delhi went past the 100 run mark in 9.1 overs with Sanju Samson too reaching his half century in 24 balls.
Earlier, Gujarat skipper Suresh Raina and wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik cracked breezy half centuries to ensure their team an imposing total.
Raina cracked 77 runs off 43 balls with five boundaries and four sixes while Karthik scored 65 off 34 balls with five boundaries and five sixes. Together they put on a 133 runs partnership in 12 overs.
Delhi won the toss and elected to field. The second over of the match was eventful with Kagiso Rabada dismissing Gujarat opener Brendon McCullum with the first ball. McCullum poked his bat to a moving delivery outside the off stump and got a thick outside edge and wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant pulling off a diving catch to his right for one run.
Opener Dwayne Smith got run out to the next ball through a direct throw from Shahbaz Nadeem for 9.
Skipper Suresh Raina on 2 too would have followed to the last ball of that over from Rabada had Shreyas Iyer not dropped him at slip.
Raina celebrated his lucky escape flicking Pat Cummins for a boundary over square leg. In the third over, Raina hit Mohammad Sami for a six over mid-wicket and the next ball he hit over the covers for a boundary.
Even the fourth delivery of that over, Raina hit wide of mid-off for another boundary.
In the fifth over Raina hit Rabada too for a six over long on and in the first five overs Gujarat were 46 for 2. When Cummins was re-introduced for the sixth over, Dinesh Karthik hit a brilliant straight drive for boundary.
Twelve runs were scored off that over. Luck favoured Raina again on 40 when in the seventh over from Shami, Marlon Samuels dropped him at mid-wicket. Raina reached his half century in 32 balls.
Karthik was at his best in the eighth over from Amit Mishra. He slashed him for a boundary and hit him for a six over mid-wicket. Samuels bowled a tight ninth over giving only six runs and by the end of tenth over, Gujarat were 93 for 2.
Raina destroyed Samuels in the 11th over by hitting the first ball for a six and the last ball too for another six and take 16 runs off that over. Karthik too reached his 50 in 28 balls.
The partnership ended when Raina, who wanted a quick single got run out. He was already half way down to see that Karthik was not prepared for the single and Raina was out to a direct throw from Rabada. In the same over, Karthik hit Shami for a six and two boundaries off successful deliveries.
Karthik’s fine knock came to an end in the 15th over to brilliant catch by Corey Anderson off Cummins. Though Karthik hoped to clear the mid-off Anderson moved back to his right and without taking his eye off the ball propelled off his feet and stretched his hand out for a spectacular catch.
By the 15th over, Gujarat were 164 for 4 with possibility of reaching the 200 run mark. Finch and Ishan Kishan put on 20 runs in three overs and ended up posting an impressive total.
Finch fell for 27 to another brilliant diving catch from wicketkeeper Pant. Ravindra Jadeja hitting the last two balls of the innings from Anderson for two sixes steered Gujarat past the 200 run mark.
Brief scores:
Delhi Daredevils bt Gujarat Lions by seven wkts.
Gujarat Lions 208 for 7 in 20 overs (Suresh Raina 77, Dinesh Karthik 65, Aaron Finch 27, Kagiso Rabada 2 for 28, Pat Cummins 2 for 30) Delhi Daredevils 214 for 3 in 17.3 overs (Sanju Samson 61, Rishabh Pant 97)
