Delhi Daredevils’ Chris Morris en route to his unbeaten 82 against Gujarat Lions in their Indian Premier League-9 match in New Delhi on Wednesday. Gujarat won by one run. (Photo: AFP)
Delhi Daredevils’ Chris Morris en route to his unbeaten 82 against Gujarat Lions in their Indian Premier League-9 match in New Delhi on Wednesday. Gujarat won by one run. (Photo: AFP)
It was expected to be a face-off between a unit that bats deep, and one that holds its own with the ball. And in the end though, there was almost nothing to separate the two, the winners on the day squeaking home by a single run.
Gujarat Lions moved to the top of the IPL-9 table with their narrowest of narrow win in what turned out to be the match of the tournament against Delhi Daredevils at the Kotla here on Wednesday despite a late, gallant charge by Chris Morris, who blazed to an unbeaten 82 from just 32 balls (4x4, 8x6).
The Lions will look back at the final two overs of the innings. Praveen Kumar bowling the 19th gave away just four runs, with the Devils needing 18 to win. Dwayne Bravo followed up with 12, denying Delhi that last vital one run with every ball speared deep into the batsman’s crease.
Even a batsman who had blasted eight sixes till then has no answers, Morris unable to list the ball even once.
In the end, 173 proved to be just a bit too much of a mountain to climb for the Daredevils, especially after they lost their first three wickets to the amiable pace of Dhawal Kulkarni (3/19) for just 15 runs inside the first five overs.
Jean Paul Duminy (48, 43b, 3x4, 1x6) and Morris brought the disgruntled Kotla audience to its feet with some brisk hitting in a 87-run fifth-wicket partnership in just 6.3 overs. Morris was in six-hitting mode, blazing his way to the quickest half-hundred of the season (17b, 7x6).
Earlier, Zaheer Khan could not have anticipated the carnage after he opted to bowl first in this needle clash. Fortunately for him, Imran Tahir and Morris stepped up on a day the rest of the bowlers, Zaheer included, failed to trouble the Lions batsmen unduly.
With Amit Mishra having a relatively quiet day, Tahir (3/24) helped break the momentum the Lions had built up over the first 12-odd overs. Morris (2/35) was Delhi’s other go-to man as Gujarat finished on 172/6.
Openers Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum tore into the bowling with relish, blasting their way to a century partnership in quick time.
Zaheer’s first over went for 18 blistering runs, and he was to suffer further indignity as Sanju Samson let a McCullum slash slip through his fingers for six as the Lions raced to 71/0 in Powerplay, and then past the 100 mark in exactly nine overs.
The hosts clawed their way back though as Smith (53) was trapped leg before by third change bowler Tahir at 112.
Scoreboard Gujarat Lions: D. Smith lbw b Imran Tahir 53, B. McCullum b Morris 60, S. Raina c Nair b Morris 2, D. Karthik c Duminy b Imran Tahir 19, R. Jadeja c de Kock b Duminy 4, Ishan Kishan c Duminy b Imran Tahir 2, D. Bravo (not out) 7, J. Faulkner (not out) 22. Extras: (lb 2, w 1) 3. Total: (for 6 wkts, in 20 overs) 172. FoW: 1-112, 2-116, 3-117, 4-130, 5-142, 6-142. Bowling: Zaheer 4-0-48-0, Nadeem 4-0-32-0, Morris 4-0-35-2 (1w), Mishra 3-0-27-0, Tahir 4-0-24-3, Duminy 1-0-4-1
Delhi Daredevils: Q de Kock c Raina b Kulkarni 5, S. Samson c Faulkner b Kulkarni 1, K. Nair c Tambe b Kulkarni 9, J.P. Duminy c & b Bravo 48 , R. Pant c Kumar b Faulkner 20, C. Morris (not out) 82 , P. Negi (not out) 3, Extras: (lb2, w1) 3. Total: (for 5 wkts; in 20 overs) 171 FoW: 1-2, 2-12, 3-16, 4-57, 5-144 Bowling: Kumar 4-0-13-0, Kulkarni 4-1-19-3, Bravo 4-0-40-1 (1w), Raina 2-0-17-0, Smith 2-0-26-0, Faulkner 2-0-23-1, Jadeja 1-0-14-0, Tambe 1-0-17-0
