The Delhi Daredevils took on the Gujarat Lions in a mid-table clash yesterday when both the teams required a win to keep their playoff chances alive. The match turned out to be a feast for the batsmen as 422 runs were scored overall and the total number of sixes went up to a gargantuan 31. However, the toughest job today was not of the bowlers, but of the man who would have to choose shots for the highlights reel of this match!
The entire game, particularly the second innings, was laden with hotshots and thumping boundaries. Rishabh Pant played so well for his 97 that he ended up getting a tweet of appreciation from Sachin Tendulkar himself. Sanju Samson played the second fiddle beautifully while scoring a masterful 61 at the other end. After the early dismissal of captain Karun Nair, the Samson-Pant pair concocted a fervent partnership of 143 that made a mockery of the target of 209 runs.
There was no fear, no doubt and no inhibitions. One batsman at 22 years of age and another at 19, structured a beautiful chase for the team that has an average age of 26 years – if this isn’t the story of the season, what is?
The Delhi Daredevils chased the massive target in just 17.3 overs as none of the Gujarat bowlers could stop their blazing onslaught. Shreyas Iyer and Corey Anderson did not allow more hiccups after Samson and Pant were finally back in the hut while ensuring a smooth win.
Let us look at the leading run scorers and wicket takers after the match –
Leading run scorers
| Position | Player | Matches | Innings | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | 100s | 50s | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Warner (SRH) | 10 | 10 | 489 | 61.12 | 150.46 | 1 | 3 | 126 |
| 2 | Gautam Gambhir (KKR) | 11 | 11 | 411 | 51.38 | 134.75 | 0 | 4 | 76* |
| 3 | Suresh Raina (GL) | 11 | 11 | 395 | 49.38 | 145.22 | 0 | 3 | 84 |
| 4 | Robin Uthappa (KKR) | 10 | 9 | 384 | 42.67 | 170.67 | 0 | 5 | 87 |
| 5 | Sanju Samson (DD) | 10 | 10 | 374 | 37.4 | 144.4 | 1 | 2 | 102 |
| 6 | Shikhar Dhawan (SRH) | 10 | 10 | 369 | 36.9 | 125.51 | 0 | 2 | 77 |
| 7 | Rahul Tripathi (RPS) | 9 | 9 | 352 | 39.11 | 155.07 | 0 | 2 | 93 |
| 8 | Manish Pandey (KKR) | 11 | 10 | 341 | 56.83 | 136.95 | 0 | 2 | 81* |
| 9 | Steve Smith (RPS) | 10 | 10 | 333 | 41.62 | 135.37 | 0 | 2 | 84* |
| 10 | Brendon McCullum (SRH) | 11 | 11 | 319 | 29 | 147 | 0 | 2 | 72 |
Leading wicket takers:
| Position | Player | Matches | Wickets | Overs | Runs | 5 Wickets | Economy | Best Figures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bhuvneshwar Kumar (SRH) | 10 | 21 | 40 | 265 | 1 | 6.62 | 5 for 19 |
| 2 | Imran Tahir (RPS) | 11 | 17 | 43 | 345 | 0 | 8.02 | 3 for 18 |
| 3 | Mitchell McClenaghan (MI) | 10 | 15 | 40 | 363 | 0 | 9.07 | 3 for 24 |
| 4 | Chris Woakes (KKR) | 11 | 14 | 36 | 327 | 0 | 9.08 | 3 for 6 |
| 5 | Andrew Tye (GL) | 6 | 12 | 21 | 141 | 1 | 6.71 | 5 for 17 |
| 6 | Jaydev Unadkat (RPS) | 7 | 12 | 26.5 | 208 | 0 | 7.75 | 3 for 29 |
| 7 | Rashid Khan (SRH) | 10 | 12 | 40 | 273 | 0 | 6.82 | 3 for 19 |
| 8 | Jasprit Bumrah (MI) | 10 | 12 | 40 | 321 | 0 | 8.02 | 3 for 24 |
| 9 | Chris Morris (DD) | 9 | 12 | 31 | 240 | 0 | 7.74 | 4 for 26 |
| 10 | Nathan Coulter-Nile (KKR) | 6 | 11 | 21.2 | 193 | 0 | 9.05 | 3 for 21 |
While the two SRH players have kept their first positions constant, many changes are taking place after David Warner and Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s names in the orange and purple cap races respectively. Samson’s 61 today has propelled him to the 5th position in the leading run-scorers list, thereby placing him with the likes of Warner, Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina, Robin Uthappa and Shikhar Dhawan. The 22-year-old can now say that he is now going to toe to toe with international stars!
Meanwhile, Andrew Tye’s absence hit the Gujarat Lions starkly today and the absence of any other GL bowler in the top 10 wicket-takers of the tournament proves why DD clobbered them all over the park today. Chris Morris fell to 9th as he missed out today due to an injury.
Let’s look at the points table now.
PointsTable:
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Lost | No Result | Net Run Rate | Points | Last Result | Next Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mumbai Indians | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0.427 | 16 | Beat RCB by 5 wickets | DD |
| 2 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0.725 | 14 | Lost to RPS by 4 wickets | RCB |
| 3 | Rising Pune Supergiant | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | -0.123 | 14 | Beat KKR by 4 wickets | SRH |
| 4 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 11 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0.659 | 13 | Lost to DD by 6 wickets | RPS |
| 5 | Kings XI Punjab | 9 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0.228 | 8 | Beat DD by 10 wickets | RCB |
| 6 | Delhi Daredevils | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0.03 | 8 | Beat GL by 7 wickets | MI |
| 7 | Gujarat Lions | 11 | 3 | 8 | 0 | -0.433 | 6 | Lost to DD by 7 wickets | KXIP |
| 8 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 11 | 2 | 8 | 1 | -1.441 | 5 | Lost to MI 5 wickets | KXIP |
Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download CricRocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more! 🚀☄️
