T20 is a batter's game, the pundits declared after Monday and Tuesday's high scoring matches. Delhi Capitals's bowlers had an effective reply on Wednesday night when they bowled the Gujarat Titans -- the IPL 2022 champions and IPL 2023 runners up -- for a mere 89.
Unlike Monday and Tuesday's matches, there weren't a flurry of sixes. Quickfire cameos did the job as DC secured their fastest win in terms of balls remaining.
The important knocks at the Narendra Modi stadium:
Rashid Khan
The Titans were tottering at 48 for 6 when Rashid came in to bat. He began his innings with a well-timed cut through backward point for a four.
He then pulled the next ball to wide mid wicket for a couple.
In the next over, he sliced a short and wide ball to third man for a four.
In the 17th over, he smashed Kuldeep Yadav's googly over extra cover for a six, the first and only one of the evening for GT.
Rashid tried to gather as many runs as he could in singles and twos, first with Rahul Tewatia (10 off 15) and then Mohit Sharma (2 off 14).
Rashid's resistance ended in the next over as he went for the upper cut off the length ball that Mukesh Kumar bowled wide. Rashid reached out for it and was caught by Rishabh Pant for 31 off 24.
Barring Rashid, the only two GT batters to reach double figures were Sai Sudharsan (12) and Rahul Tewatia (10).
Jake Fraser-McGurk
Needing ninety to win, the DC openers came out prepared to make short work on the target. Sandeep Warrier was sent to the cleaners in the very first over with Fraser-McGurk taking him on with a six and a four.
Spencer Johnson also came in for some clobbering from his compatriot, with Fraser-McGurk first smashing a six over deep backward point before hitting a four to third man.
He was out next ball for 20 off 10, but gave his team the positive start they would have been looking for.
After his maiden fifty on IPL debut in the previous match, McGurk continued in the same vein. His stay at the crease may have lasted just ten balls, but scoring at a rate of 200, his knock was the highest of the DC chase.
Shai Hope
After the Capitals openers returned to the dugout in quick succession, Shai Hope and Abhishek Porel kept DC's chase on track.
Coming in at No. 4 after Prithvi Shaw's departure, Hope hit Sandeep Warrier for a four over deep square leg before smoking the bowler for three successive sixes.
Though he got out to Rashid for 19 runs off 10 balls, Hope had set Delhi on course for a win.
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