Capitol Hill

Gujarat Titans' left-handed batter B. Sai Sudharsan stepped up to anchor Gujarat's chase of 163, which was reduced to 54/3 at one point, with an impressive 62 not out off 48 balls and take his team to a six-wicket victory over the Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday.

According to information received here, Star Sports, the official broadcaster of the tournament, recorded a TVR of 7.29 for the opening fixture, a sharp drop from the 2021 edition (8.25) and 2020 (10.36). The engagement numbers for the 1st game came in at a lowly 33 per cent, the second lowest in the past six seasons and the BARC numbers were also reflective of this drop with the curtain raiser recorded at 22 per cent as opposed to previous year's 23.1 per cent.

The experts panel at Star Sports feels that Virat Kohli and Ruturaj Gaikwad - who are the frontrunners in the Orange Cap race - might actually end up winning it by the end of yet another exciting season. They also said that Rajasthan Royals star spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and Gujarat Titans' talisman Rashid Khan are primed to win the Purple Cap, awarded to the most successful bowler at the end of the tournament.

South Africa batting great AB de Villiers feels that the side hasn't been able to gel as a unit yet and added that the main players have to step up to put in match-winning performances. "It has been rocky start and not been easy for them. It is never easy when you start with an away game and you lose badly like they did.

Chasing a tricky 163 for victory against Delhi Capitals, the Hardik Pandya-led side won the contest with six wickets in hand and 11 balls to spare, thanks largely to Sudharsan's unbeaten 62 that came off 48 balls and included four boundaries and a couple of sixes. The 21-year-old put on 56 runs in the company of David Miller, who stayed unbeaten on a 16-ball 31.

After Mohammed Shami and Rashid Khan picked three-wicket hauls each for Gujarat to keep Delhi to 162/8 in 20 overs on a pitch which had plenty of pace and bounce, Sudharsan and Shankar played some good solid cricket in their 53-run partnership for the fourth wicket after losing three wickets in power-play.

New Zealand captain, Williamson suffered an on-field injury to his right leg while attempting a catch at the boundary in the tournament opener against Chennai Super Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, on March 31. Shanaka, Sri Lanka's white-ball captain, is an explosive middle-order batter who also bowls right-arm seam, the franchise informed in a release on Tuesday.

Mohammed Shami got a bit of spice from the pitch in an eventful opening over. An away swinger against David Warner disturbed the off-stump, but the bail was unmoved. Though he also cut him in size, Shami was unable to find control, giving away seven wides.

Capitals are playing their first home game of the season after 2019 while the Titans are featuring in their first away match of the tournament, with the pitch described to be a flat one with a slight tinge of grass. After winning the toss, Pandya said South Africa batter David Miller and uncapped India batter B. Sai Sudharsan come in for injured Kane Williamson, who is ruled out of the tournament, and all-rounder Vijay Shankar.

The two teams have met only once in IPL, during last year when Gujarat emerged victorious by 14 runs. Tuesday's match is also the first time Gujarat will play an away match as part of the tournament returning to the home-and-away format.