Mustafizur Rahman, who had helped Bangladesh win in Sharjah the previous night, was back on the IPL stage today. Bowling in a crucial fixture for the Delhi Capitals, Mustafiz looked in familiar rhythm—economical and probing. He conceded only 13 runs in his first two overs and 11 in his third. Yet Delhi still slumped to a 10-wicket defeat against the Gujarat Titans as the other bowlers failed to make an impact.
Mustafizur’s figures: 3 overs, 0 wickets, 24 runs. Though he kept things tight, he, like the rest of the attack, remained wicket-less.
How the chase unfolded
Set 200 to win, Gujarat raced to 43 in the first three overs. To stem the flow, skipper Axar Patel turned to Mustafizur; the left-armer responded with a boundary-free over that cost just six. His second over went for only seven, the lone boundary coming off the fourth ball. Dushmantha Chameera backed him up well, but neither could deliver the breakthrough.
Meanwhile, Sai Sudharsan reached fifty off 30 balls, and after a slow start Shubman Gill also settled and became dangerous. Breaking the partnership proved nearly impossible for Delhi.
Mustafizur’s third over went for 11. Sudharsan brought up his century off 56 balls by launching Kuldeep for six, while captain Gill finished unbeaten on 93 * off 53 balls, seven short of his own hundred.
With an over to spare, Gujarat sealed a commanding 10-wicket win. Sudharsan’s unbeaten 108 came from 61 deliveries, laced with 12 fours and four sixes; Gill struck seven sixes in his 93*
