New Delhi : The pair of Delhi Capitals (DC) skipper Rishabh Pant and batter Tristan Stubbs created a new record for the highest partnership run rate in the Indian Premier League (IPL).The duo created this record during the game against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Stubbs came to bat in the 18th over of DC innings. The 18th over bowled by Mohit Sharma saw the duo score: 1, 4, 1, 6, 0, and 2 which is a total of 14 runs.
In the penultimate over by spinner Sai Kishore, Stubbs first took a single, followed by a single from Pant. Then, the South African batter unleashed carnage with a four, six, four, and six. The over cost 22 runs.
In the final over, Mohit came to bowl and Pant faced him for the entirety of the over. After taking a double, Mohit delivered a wide. Following that, Pant delivered Mohit the most brutal beating of his IPL career, smashing him for 6, 4, 6, 6 and 6. Mohit ended with the figures of 0/73 in four overs, the most expensive in IPL history. 31 runs came in the final over.
Pant and Stubbs added 67 runs in 18 balls, with a partnership run-rate of 22.33.This has overtaken the partnership run rate put up by Heinrich Klaasen and Shahbaz Ahmed for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) this season. During the run-chase of 209 runs, they put up 58 runs in 16 balls, at a run-rate of 21.75 per over.
Coming to the game, Gujarat won the toss and opted to bowl first. After a swift start from openers, Jake Fraser McGurk (23 in 14 balls, with two fours and two sixes) and Prithvi Shaw (11 in seven balls, with two fours), DC was restricted to 44/3. Then, Axar Patel (66 in 43 balls, with five fours and four sixes) and Rishabh Pant launched a counterattack on GT. In the death overs, Pant joined forces with Tristan Stubbs (26* in seven balls, with three fours and two sixes) to destroy GT's death bowling. Pant finished at 88* in 43 balls, with five fours and eight sixes.
DC was 224/4 in their 20 overs. Sandeep Warrier (3/15) was the pick of the bowlers for GT.In the run-chase, GT lost skipper Shubman Gill early. A counter-attack was once again in the works as Wriddhiman Saha (39 in 25 balls, with five fours and a six) and Sai Sudarshan (65 in 39 balls, with seven fours and two sixes) had an 82-run partnership.
In the later stages, David Miller (55 in 23 balls, with six fours and three sixes), Sai Kishore (13 in six balls with two sixes) and Rashid Khan (21* in 11 balls, with three fours and a six) put pressure on DC bowlers, but the hosts held their nerves to win the game by four runs, restricting GT to 220/8 in their 20 overs.
Rasikh Salam (3/44) and Kuldeep Yadav (2/29) were among the top bowlers for DC. Pant took home the 'Player of the Match' award.
DC is at the sixth spot in the points table, with four wins, five losses and eight points. On the other hand, GT is at the seventh spot with the same win-loss and points, but an inferior net run rate.