Gujarat Lions and Delhi Daredevils came into this match with wins under their belt after an initial stumble. Both teams were high in confidence as they were clicking as a team and they had given some good team performances. A thrilling contest was on the cards and sure the teams didn’t disappoint, as DD won the toss and chose to bowl first.

Aaron Finch who suffered an injury in the previous match was replaced by James Faulkner. The duo of Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Smith got off to a flyer as they exploded from the very first over scoring 18 runs off it. The openers did not spare anyone, let it be a spinner or a pacer. The score read 71-0 at the end of power play after they had registered the fastest team 50 of the season. Their stroke play was absolutely skilful as they zoomed to the fastest team 100 in this season of IPL, in just 9 overs. It looked as if the Lions were in for a big score when Smith 53 (30) was dismissed by Tahir. McCullum 60(36) soon followed him to the pavilion as he was caught by Chris Morris of his own bowling. The DD bowlers saw an opening and they capitalised on it. They kept on getting wickets and they strangled the GL’s scoring rate. Imran Tahir bowled beautifully, to first break the partnership between the openers and then came back to pick two more wickets to break Gujarat’s momentum. After a few good overs, in the end, GL could just manage 172/6.

DD couldn’t have had a slower start as Dhawal Kulkarni and Praveen Kumar bowled well in tandem to wreak havoc in the power play. Kumar kept it really tight while Kulkarni kept picking wickets from the other end. DD could just manage 22 of their first 6 overs and they lost 3 wickets in the process, including the in-form Quinton de Kock. DD got their 50 in their 10th over and it was the slowest 50 of the season. When you talk about contrasts, nothing can be more contrasting than the teams batting in the first 10 overs. JP Duminy was joined by Chris Morris in the 11th over when DD was reeling at 57-4. Even the hardcore DD fans would have given up the hope of winning the match, but as they say, cricket is a game of great uncertainties, Morris had other plans. Duminy and Morris were all guns blazing as they started attacking the bowlers, especially Morris who was not just hitting it, but he was hitting it clean to send it to the stands. Morris was just clubbing everyone that came into bowl with equal disdain, as he registered the fastest 50 of this IPL in just 17 deliveries and it felt that DD still had a chance in the game. Duminy’s loss was a crucial turning point of this game. Still with Morris in the crease, anything was possible. With 17 required off the last 12 balls, Kumar bowled a terrific penultimate over to give GL a real chance to defend with 14 required off the last over. Morris 82(32) brought DD very close to victory but couldn’t take them all the way as Raina’s team scampered home with a 1 run victory. Morris’s knock was filled with big hits as he hit 8 sixes and 4 fours in his knock of 82 which almost got Delhi home. It would have been excruciating for DD to lose by 1 run after coming so close to a well-deserved victory.