DC VS GT MATCH 7

That is it then from this game and the 2023 Indian T20 League table is starting to take shape now. The action in the league stage continues on Wednesday, the 5th of April as Rajasthan take on Punjab at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati. That clash will begin at 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT) but as usual, our build-up will begin much sooner. Do join us then, take care and goodbye!

Sai Sudharsan (62* off 48 balls) is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for his match-winning inning. He says that he was thinking about what needed to be done and didn't take pressure on himself. Mentions that the track was a bit slower and the ball was skidding through and he tried to play to the merit of the ball. On being asked about whether he was more proud of hitting Anrich Nortje for a couple of maximums or weathering the storm early on, Sai replies that powering through the storm early on was the highlight and that eventually helped them win.

The Gujarat skipper, Hardik Pandya says that they did not know what was happening initially with the ball and adds that they gave away 15-20 runs extra in the Powerplay but also says that the bowlers did well to pull things back. Mentions that he goes with his instincts and backs his decisions. Shares that the atmosphere in the camp is relaxed and the message for the boys is to enjoy and play with a smile. Lauds the team for delivering in crunch moments and it is working well for them. Closes by saying that Sai Sudharsan batted brilliantly and he has a bright future in front of him and will do something special in the coming years not just in franchise cricket but for the national team as well.

The Presentation ceremony...

David Miller, who hit the winning runs for Gujarat is down for a chat. He says it's nice to get the win and isn't thinking about the jet lag. Adds that he felt like they shouldn't leave it too late and hence took on the bowling when they required. Mentions that they have the likes of Rashid Khan and Rahul Tewatia down the order and the foundation up top is almost always good and that's what helps them chase down totals. Adds that the environment within the camp is a relaxed one and it can get competitive when on the field but off the field it remains relaxed.

David Warner, the captain of Delhi says that losing three wickets in the Powerplay was always going to be a struggle for them. Adds that the lower order batted well and took them to a decent total. Mentions that they have to learn from their mistakes and play well at their home ground. He lauds the bowlers as they bowled extremely well. Credits Sai Sudharsan and David Miller for their knocks. Adds that Axar Patel didn’t get a bowl because of the wicket and the matchups. Closes by saying that Kuldeep Yadav and Mitchell Marsh did a good job for them.

Earlier in the game, Hardik Pandya won the toss and opted to field first which turned out to be an excellent decision as the new ball swung a lot. Mohammad Shami failed to keep control of the swing in the first over but picked up two early wickets. Delhi were on the back foot and skipper David Warner started to counterattack but Alzarri Joseph came in and bowled a fiery spell to dismiss Warner and Rilee Rossouw. After that Delhi continued to struggle a bit with the bat but young Abishek Porel and Axar Patel played handy cameos to take Delhi over the 160-run mark. For Gujarat, Shami picked up three wickets but was a bit expensive. Alzarri Joseph got two vital wickets and Rashid Khan ripped through the middle order with his three wickets as well. Coming to the chase, a strong middle order of Gujarat came good when required the most and they went on to seal the win pretty comfortably.

Delhi have now lost both their opening games, one away from home and one at home, and are in a bit of a fix early on. The batting hasn't quite clicked and the bowling too wasn't up to the mark in this game. Khaleel Ahmed was brought on as the Impact Player and was handed the new ball but was put away in his first over. Anrich Nortje then came in and did well to pick up a couple of crucial wickets and Khaleel too came back strongly to get rid of the Gujarat skipper. But the other pacers hardly troubled the opposition's batters and Khaleel continued to leak runs. In the end, they lost the game quite convincingly.

Gujarat put on a good show with the ball and in the field to restrict Delhi to 162. The opening pair of Wriddhiman Saha and Shubman Gill started with a bang as well but both of them were cleaned up by Anrich Nortje. Skipper Hardik Pandya too departed soon and just when Gujarat looked in a spot of bother, in came the Impact Player Vijay Shankar. Shankar along with Sai Sudharsan put on a 53-run stand to put Gujarat in command. The former fell but Sudharsan carried on to bring up a classy half-century. David Miller came out all guns blazing and simply dismissed any hopes of a comeback from Delhi remaining unbeaten on 31 off just 16 balls.

GT while chasing in the IPL: Matches - 11, Wins - 10, Losses - 1, Win% - 90.9

A clinical performance from reigning champions Gujarat and they have made it two wins out of two to start their campaign. Gujarat have now won 10 out of their last 11 games while chasing.

THAT'S IT! David Miller hits the winning runs and Gujarat makes it two out of two. Slower ball, on a length and around off, David Miller nudges it past square leg for a couple. Gujarat wins by 6 wickets with 11 balls to spare. A terrific win for the Hardik Pandya-led side. They are looking good early on in the season.

Full again on the stumps. David Miller eases it through mid-wicket for one.

Very full and tailing into the batter on the leg peg, Sai Sudharsan flicks it to deep square leg for one.

Slower ball, full and on the stumps, this is worked away into the gap between long on and deep mid-wicket for a couple.

Good length down the leg, David Miller nudges it to deep backward square leg for one.

FOUR! WELL PLACED! Full and outside off, David Miller drives this uppishly through the extra cover region for a beautiful boundary. The target is into single digits now.