IPL 2023: 3 players who flopped and 2 who starred in today's DC vs GT match
The Gujarat Titans (GT) continued their unbeaten run in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) as they beat the Delhi Capitals (DC) by six wickets on Tuesday, April 4.
Hardik Pandya won the toss and elected to bowl, with Mohammad Shami setting the tone for the match with an eventful opening spell that yielded two wickets. GT had to chase 163 and they got over the line with 11 balls to spare.
Here are three players who flopped and two who starred in Match 7 of IPL 2023 between DC and GT.
#5 Flop - Mitchell Marsh
Mitchell Marsh came into IPL 2023 in stellar form, having starred for Australia in various limited-overs assignments. However, the batter hasn't set the tournament alight thus far.
Marsh was castled for a first-ball duck in the previous game, and there wasn't much he could've done about a lethal indipper from Mark Wood. Against GT, though, the Aussie let himself down with a poor stroke away from his body.
Mohammad Shami was getting the ball to nip around, and Marsh played a backfoot punch off the previous delivery to get off the mark. He played the same stroke, this time without much convinction, to chop on. The ball was fairly innocuous, and the DC No. 3 should've done better.
Marsh had his first bowl of the competition and even picked up a wicket, but the Capitals will expect more from the hard-hitting batter.
#4 Star - Axar Patel
Bapu, taari prediction kamaal che 😍
#YehHaiNayiDilli #DCvGT #IPL2023 @akshar2026 https://t.co/lz7No77U6w
Axar Patel came in to bat at No. 7 with DC in a precarious position. He defied the situation, though, essaying an excellent knock that took his team to a defendable total.
Hardik Pandya set aggressive fields to Axar, who looked to be positive right from the outset. He struck two fours and three sixes, even taking the attack to star spinner Rashid Khan.
Only DC can tell us why they are using him so low in the batting order. Axar has made significant strides in his game against both pace and spin, and really should be batting in the top five. Strangely, the left-arm spinner wasn't called upon to bowl either.
#3 Flop - Prithvi Shaw
Like Marsh, Prithvi Shaw has made an underwhelming start to IPL 2023. The dynamic batter has clear holes in his game that continue to plague his progress.
Mohammad Shami was always going to target Shaw with inswingers and bouncers, and it was the latter that brought about the opener's downfall. The DC man has been known to struggle against hard lengths at his body, and he top-edged another ball of that kind to hole out at the edge of the circle.
The Capitals need Shaw to put his short-ball demons aside and come up with some telling performances in the powerplay.
#2 Star - Sai Sudharsan
While Shaw flopped, a young Indian batter from the opposition played arguably his best IPL knock to date.
Kane Williamson's season-ending injury meant that GT trusted Sai Sudharsan to bat at No. 3, and the 21-year-old didn't disappoint. He played his shots right from the outset, trying to keep the scoreboard moving while weathering the loss of any wickets.
Sudharsan batted through the innings, playing some outstanding shots off world-class bowlers like Anrich Nortje, who was breathing fire in Delhi. The left-hander remained unbeaten on 62 off 48 to shepherd his team over the line in the company of David Miller.
#1 Flop - David Warner
Two quality domestic players are struggling against genuine pace and bounce. Sarfaraz Khan and Prithvi Shaw @wmakarand
#DCvsGT
The DC captain must take some responsibility for the way he has started the new campaign. David Warner has looked immensely rusty at the top of the order, having struggled to keep his strike rate above the 120 mark.
Warner labored to 37 off 32 against GT. He looked all at sea in the powerplay, especially during the opening over bowled by Shami. The southpaw managed to find the boundary seven times, but strangely couldn't rotate strike effectively throughout his innings.
Warner's captaincy was rather uninspiring as well. The 36-year-old didn't bowl Axar, bowled Mukesh instead of his strike bowlers in a game-defining death over and arguably brought on Nortje too late in the piece. Kuldeep, one of DC's most threatening bowlers on the night, didn't complete his quota either.