New Delhi, April 8 (IANS) Captain Shubman Gill, Jos Buttler, and Washington Sundar hit blazing fifties each as Gujarat Titans posted 210/4 in their 20 overs against Delhi Capitals in match 14 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday. Yet GT could be left wondering if they could have got more runs, considering they made only 58 runs in the last six overs.
Buttler was back to his devastating best with the bat by hitting a 27-ball 52, laced with three fours and five towering sixes. Gill, back in action after a muscle spasm in his neck ruled him out in the last game, was elegant in collecting the majority of his runs through leg-side to top-score with 70 off 45 balls, laced with four boundaries and five sixes.
He also shared a commanding 104-run partnership with Washington, who hit his first IPL fifty via a 32-ball 55, studded with six boundaries and two sixes. For DC, Lungi Ngidi changed the complexion of the match in the back end with his slower balls to end up with 1-24 in his four overs, even as the rest of his bowling counterparts had an economy rate above eight.
Sai Sudharsan got GT’s innings going by clipping Mukesh Kumar for four, before Gill unleashed a backfoot drive racing through backward point for another boundary. After leaning into an exquisite cover drive off Ngidi, Sudharsan got out for a score below fifty for the first time in IPL games in New Delhi by chopping on to his stumps off Mukesh.
Buttler showed signs of his old blistering self when he lofted Mukesh for six, before going inside-out and lofting Axar Patel for four and six respectively. Buttler showcased his full range in Mukesh’s third over – a scoop over fine leg for six was followed by a maximum launched clean down the ground, and then a lofted drive over extra cover cleared the ropes easily, as 23 runs came off it.
Gill, meanwhile, had the best seat in the house to watch the carnage from the other end – as Buttler swatted Ngidi for four, before getting his fifty in 24 balls. But Kuldeep Yadav’s short ball ended Buttler’s fun – it didn’t bounce much as he went for the pull, and was castled.
With T Natarajan giving away 13 runs in his first two overs, Gill and Sundar kept the scoreboard ticking via strike rotation and hitting occasional boundaries. But it was in the 12th over, bowled by Vipraj Nigam, where both Sundar and Gill broke free to raise fifty of their partnership in 26 balls.
Sundar began with three pulled fours off short balls, and all went in the gap between deep mid-wicket and long-on for two fours and a six, which came off a no-ball. Gill then joined the carnage by dispatching a full toss flat straight over the bowler’s head, before slog-sweeping Kuldeep for another maximum and reaching his fifty in 33 balls by sweeping a dipping full toss from Ngidi for four.
After that, Gill upped his scoring tempo – nailing the pull off Natarajan for four, before pulling and lofting Kuldeep for a brace of sixes. But Ngidi ended Gill’s stay with a slower ball, which he skied to mid-off, as GT went without a boundary in 12 balls at the back end.
Washington, though, marched forward to bring up his fifty off 33 balls by heaving and driving Natarajan for consecutive boundaries, before miscuing a loft to mid-off against Mukesh. A brace of boundaries from Glenn Phillips took GT to exactly 210 and put DC on the path of an uphill chase.
Brief scores:
Gujarat Titans 210/4 in 20 overs (Shubman Gill 70, Washington Sundar 55, Jos Buttler 52; Mukesh Kumar 2-55, Lungi Ngidi 1-24) against Delhi Capitals
–IANS
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