IPL 2022: Ferguson, Gill Run Riot As Gujarat Pip Delhi By 14 Runs

PUNE: Gujarat Titans (171-6) pipped Delhi Capitals (157-9) by 14 runs on Saturday in match 10 of the Indian Premier League. Here are the major highlights of the match –

‘Gallant’ Gill: After his opening partner Matthew Wade was dismissed in the first over, Shubman Gill held one end steadfastly and produced a terrific innings. Though a little watchful early on, he didn’t miss an opportunity to put bad balls away. In the 2nd over, he played a superb short-arm jab off Shardul Thakur and followed it up with a stinging cut.

After reaching his fifty in 32 balls, he shifted gear adroitly and clouted a couple of sixes off left-arm spinner Axar Patel in the 16th over. He also reeled off an audacious scoop off Khaleel Ahmed to muster a boundary. Kuldeep Yadav was also on his radar as he was bludgeoned for a six straight down the ground. The importance and impact of his innings can be gauged by the fact that he scored 84 runs off 46 balls, while other batters of the team together managed only 80 runs off 74 balls.

He joined forces with Gujarat’s captain Hardik Pandya and stitched up a 65-run partnership for the 3rd wicket. Hardik played some delightful shots such as a drive off Thakur and a sumptuous sweep off Axar in the 12th over.

Mustafizur’s impact: Mustafizur Rahman has the reputation of being one of the finest bowlers in limited-overs and on Saturday he once again demonstrated his utility. Rahman nipped out Wade in the first over and smothered Vijay Shankar in the Powerplay. He used his customary cutters imaginatively and varied his pace superbly. At one stage, Gujarat were slated to score over 190 runs but in his last 2 overs, he gave away only 13 runs and snapped up two wickets to restrict Gujarat to 171 in 20 overs.

All-rounder Pandya: After making a fine contribution with the bat, Pandya stepped up to the plate and bowled with outstanding control. He nipped out Delhi opener Tim Seifert with a deceptive slower ball in the second over to give his team an early breakthrough. Overall, he conceded only 22 runs in 4 overs, which is a remarkable performance from someone who is known to leak runs.

Pant’s assault: Delhi’s captain Rishabh Pant is one of the most explosive and impactful batsmen in the world at present and on Saturday he gave ample proof of that. He cut, slashed, scooped and pulled with abandon and scored 43 off just 29 balls, which included 7 fours. However, at a crucial stage, he was outfoxed by wily Ferguson which eventually led to his team’s defeat.

Rampant Ferguson: Ferguson extracted appreciable bounce off the surface and sent back Prithvi Shaw and Mandeep Singh in the 5th over to leave Delhi in disarray. He was brought back for the second spell when Delhi captain Rishabh Pant was threatening to take the match away from Gujarat. Delhi were coasting at 118-4 in 14 overs when Ferguson once again struck as Pant was undone by the pace and bounce. Axar also succumbed to Ferguson’s wiles soon.

Delhi’s lower middle crumbled under mounting pressure as they could only manage 157-9 in 20 overs.