Delhi set a formidable whole of 224-4, courtesy of a 113-run partnership between Pant and fellow left-hander Axar Patel, who scored 66, after the workforce discovered themselves at 44-Three inside the first six overs at their house floor, the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
The hosts held Gujarat to 220-8, securing victory by 4 runs regardless of David Miller’s 23-ball 55 and an unbeaten 21 off 11 balls from Rashid Khan.
Mukesh Kumar held his composure within the remaining over, making certain Delhi’s fourth win in 9 matches and protecting their playoff hopes alive within the T20 event.
Pant, 26, marked his third half-century of the season after a 14-month hiatus from top-level cricket as a result of a extreme automobile accident in December 2022, which prompted a number of accidents and required surgical procedure.
Not solely has Pant excelled with the bat within the IPL, however his sharp abilities behind the stumps have led Delhi’s director of cricket Sourav Ganguly and coach Ricky Ponting to help his return to the nationwide workforce for the upcoming World Cup in June.
Rising Australian batsman Jake Fraser-McGurk supplied Delhi with a robust begin, scoring 23 off 14 balls, however medium-pacer Sandeep Warrier claimed three wickets, together with two in a single over.
Patel, promoted to quantity three within the batting order, reached his half-century with a boundary off Rashid Khan earlier than being caught at long-on by one other Afghan spinner, Noor Ahmad.
Pant introduced up his half-century in dramatic trend with a six off Mohit Sharma and later plundered the medium-pacer in a 31-run 20th over, ending with a six, a 4, and three sixes, electrifying the gang.
South African Tristan Stubbs watched Pant’s onslaught from the opposite finish, contributing an unbeaten 26 off seven balls, together with a blistering over within the 19th that yielded 22 runs.
In response, Gujarat suffered the lack of captain Shubman Gill for simply six runs off Anrich Nortje earlier than impression substitute Sai Sudarshan smashed 65 off 39 balls.
Gujarat continued to lose wickets, however Miller’s aggressive play, together with three sixes and a 4 off Nortje, saved Delhi on their toes earlier than he departed within the 18th over.
Rashid continued the battle till the top as Gujarat required 19 runs within the remaining over and 5 runs on the final ball.
