Pant drops maiden fifty to stun Gujarat Lions

The match in a tweet: Teenager Rishabh Pant stole the limelight and Delhi’s young guns put on a fiery display in Rajkot as Gujarat Lions suffered a second straight loss

The result: The Gujarat Lions 7-149 were defeated by the Delhi Daredevils 2-150 by eight wickets with 16 balls remaining

The Aussie pack: In a forgettable night for the Australians, Aaron Finch (5) returned to the Lions’ XI, albeit batting at No.3, after his recent injury troubles. James Faulkner scored seven and bowled just the one over, which went for nine.

The young gun: In only his third IPL game, 18-year-old Rishabh Pant registered his maiden IPL half-century to lay the foundation for victory against table-topping Gujarat. It was in keeping with the heady season the youngster has been experiencing, making his Ranji Trophy debut, playing for India's Under-19 team under Rahul Dravid and now stealing headlines in this glitzy T20 tournament.

Promoted to open in this match with Quinton de Kock, he put on 115 from 81. His own contribution was a chanceless 69 from 40, with nine fours and two sixes. The real highlight though was the manner in which he scored these runs.

He raced to 15 off 7, smacking three successive boundaries off Dhawal Kulkarni (0-24) in the second over, and continued to lead the way as the more ‘experienced’ de Kock settled at the other end. Their 50 was up from 29 deliveries, and they had 61 by the end of powerplay. Pant was harsh on Suresh Raina (0-34) too, smacking him for 15 in the ninth over.

Perhaps the best shot of the innings was his flat-batted six off Faulkner in the 12th over as he brought up his 50 from 29. He was dismissed soon after, caught off Ravindra Jadeja (1-21) after edging one into his pad as the ball looped up, but the chase was already done.  

The support cast: Since his hundred against Royal Challengers Bangalore, de Kock had not kicked on with scores of 9, 5 and 1. But here he could settle and play the 'senior' hand with Pant playing the role of aggressor. He benefitted from a fluffed stumping chance and holed out in the deep just short of his half-century, finishing with 46 off 45.

The other pleasing aspect of this win for the Daredevils was their strategy. They made the bold call to drop Carlos Brathwaite, man of the match in their previous game, and brought in Shahbaz Nadeem (2-23). The left-arm spinner removed Dwayne Smith (15 off 14) and Finch while Zaheer Khan (1-27) got Brendon McCullum. From 3-24 in the fourth over, it was no surprise that Gujarat’s score never really took off.

The consolation: The only silver lining for Gujarat in this affair was the runs scored by their re-arranged middle order. With Finch returning, it pushed the line-up down one, allowing them to counter after the top-order fell cheaply. Dinesh Karthik was the star of the day for the Lions, bringing up his second fifty of the season. It was his 53 from 43 that allowed them to get to a respectable total of 7-149. And with Dwayne Bravo to return from his injury, this new-look line-up could again make waves.

The McCullum brilliance: Delhi won with 16 deliveries to spare, and yet the most memorable moment of the game came off its penultimate ball. Sanju Samson (19 not out from 13) smacked Jadeja to the long-on fence, and it would have been six but for McCullum’s flash of brilliance. He leaped back in the air, caught the ball in his right hand and as he rolled over the rope, flicked the ball back in play. He saved four runs at a time when the Daredevils were only eight away from victory, and to think, he is retired from the rigours of the international stage.

The stat: At 18 years and 212 days, Pant became the second-youngest batsman to score a half-century in the IPL. The record is held by his teammate, Samson, at 18 years and 169 days.

The wash-up: Despite a second successive loss, the Gujarat Lions are still top of the league with six wins from nine games – two more than Delhi Daredevils have played, who are second with five wins. The other in-form team this season is Kolkata Knight Riders, who are third with a game in hand over the Lions as well.

The next stop: The Daredevils return home to Delhi next and after a quick turn-around, will host the Rising Pune Supergiants on Thursday. Meanwhile, the Lions travel to Hyderabad and take on David Warner's Sunrisers on Friday.