Published: May 10, 2017, 09:48 PM (IST)
Edited: May 10, 2017, 10:04 PM (IST)
A 92-run stand for the fourth wicket between Dinesh Karthik and Aaron Finch helped Gujarat Lions (GL) set a strong total against Delhi Daredevils (DD), in match No. 50 of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2017. Karthik fell for a 28-ball 40, whereas Finch smacked 69 as Gujarat Lions once again set a daunting total of 195 for 5 against Delhi Daredevils. While both the teams have fallen off the race for the final four in IPL 10, a consolatory win is what they seek at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur. Earlier in the day, Delhi Daredevils had won the toss and elected to field. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: Gujarat Lions (GL) vs Delhi Daredevils (DD), IPL 2017, Match 50
Gujarat Lions were off to a shaky start in the contest. Dwayne Smith and Ishan Kishan opened the innings, and the former was first to walk back into the pavilion, after adding 21 runs in the first 3 overs for his side. It was a bizarre dismissal for the West Indian, who was slow in completing a run which was called by his partner. As Smith dragged himself towards the non-striker’s end, Mohammed Shami’s throw came in and caught him short of the crease. FULL CRICKET BLOG: Gujarat Lions (GL) vs Delhi Daredevils (DD), IPL 2017, Match 50
Amusingly, even Shami was late to collect the ball and hurl it on to the wickets, and was lucky enough to have contributed in the first wicket. Following the dismissal of Smith, Kishan tried putting pressure back on Delhi Daredevils as he smacked a six and a four off Shami in the deep fine leg region.
Kishan was joined by Suresh Raina, but the Gujarat captain had a short stay in the middle. After making room to thwack a short delivery outside off from Pat Cummins, Raina once again made room but missed to connect. A 146 kmph scorcher from the right-arm quick bowling from around the wickets dismantled Raina’s off and middle stumps.
Kishan hit one more four before he was dismissed. The second ball from Amit Mishra’s over was swept for a four, but on the next ball, the batsman got a leading edge which was collected comfortably by the man at short fine leg. Kishan scored 34 off 25 balls, studded with 5 boundaries and 1 six.
Finch and Karthik teamed up to take Gujarat ahead. While Karthik was away with a fabulous cover drive for a four off the first ball that he faced, Finch opened up when he smacked consecutive sixes off Mishra in the ninth over of the innings.
Both Karthik and Finch batted with identical approach as they put up a strong partnership for the fourth wicket which resurrected the faltering innings for Gujarat Lions. They did not give any room to the Delhi Daredevils to capitalise, and batted responsibly to take the team out of the woods.
The stubborn stand for the fourth wicket was broken when Carlos Brathwaite had Karthik caught at long-on for 40, which came off 28 balls. He cracked 4 boundaries and 1 six during his innings. Ravindra Jadeja was the next to walk in, and he started off with a first-ball boundary.
Meanwhile, Finch got to his half-century with a six straight down the ground off Brathwaite. He proved to be the most aggressive among all Gujarat batsmen, as he smacked one more four in that Brathwaite over, and followed it with two consecutive fours off Cummins in the 18th over.
Finch was dismissed in a manner identical to his captain. A yorker from Shami in the 19th over knocked down Finch’s off and middle stumps, and the batsman walked back having scored a fine 39-ball 69, studded with 4 sixes and 6 fours. Towards the end of the innings, Jadeja (7-ball 13 not out, 2 fours) and James Faulkner (8-ball 14 not out, 1 four) did well to take Gujarat Lions closer to the 200-run target.
For Delhi Daredevils, as many as six bowlers were used with Amit Mishra finishing with 1 for 27 off his 4 overs.
In the final over of the innings, wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant — who perhaps played the best innings of this IPL in the previous Gujarat versus Delhi clash — suffered a nasty blow to his left thumb, and gave the wicketkeeping job to Sanju Samson.
Brief scores:
Gujarat Lions 195 for 5 in 20 overs (Ishan Kishan 34, Dinesh Karthik 40, Aaron Finch 69; Amit Mishra 1 for 27) vs Delhi Daredevils
