Ricky Ponting drops David Warner in Indian Premier League but Fraser-McGurk cameo helps Delhi Capitals win

Delhi Capitals have dropped out-of-sorts David Warner but it hasn’t stopped them squeezing out a thrilling four-run IPL win over Gujarat Titans with a little help from their other Australian top-order blaster Jake Fraser-McGurk.

Warner, the prolific 37-year-old opener who’s scored more runs than any other overseas batter in the IPL, paid the price for a rare lean spell in which he’s scored only 37 in his last four matches.

But at the same time, young gun Fraser-McGurk, who’s long idolised the player who’s 15 years his senior, has made up for Warner’s struggles, launching a potentially brilliant career with two explosive fifties in his first three knocks.

And the fourth wasn’t bad either on Wednesday at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium as Fraser-McGurk, promoted again to the top of the order after the hosts had been inserted by Gujarat, cracked two fours and two sixes in his 23 off his 14 balls before holing out off medium pacer Sandeep Warrier.

Warrier’s 3-15 in the powerplay had Ricky Ponting-coached Delhi, who also missed the injured Mitch Marsh in their Australian-powered lineup, on the backfoot before a revival led by captain Rishabh Pant rocketed them to a formidable 4-224.

Pant, back to his best following his car accident in late December, showed why Ponting believes he must be in India’s T20 World Cup squad as he whacked an unbeaten 88 off 43 balls.

The innings was climaxed by him blitzing Mohit Sharma for 31 runs off the last over as the Gujarat pacer registered the worst bowling figures in IPL history with 0-73.

Earlier, Axar Patel had made 66 while South African Tristan Stubbs hit 26 off seven balls, with Delhi’s 53 runs off the final two overs the most scored off the last 12 balls of any IPL innings.

Yet the Capitals themselves still had to survive Rashid Khan’s remarkable onslaught in the final over of the chase as the Titans came so close to pulling off a last-gasp win.

Needing 19 off fast bowler Mukesh Kumar’s last over, the masterful Adelaide Strikers allrounder Rashid (21no) hit boundaries off the first two balls and then a six off the penultimate ball, only for Gujarat to still fall just short on 8-220.

It proved a compelling chase with Gujarat impact player Sai Sudharsan also making 65 and David Miller (55) smiting a 21-ball half-century.

Delhi have risen to sixth in the table with their fourth win in nine games, while Gujarat are seventh on the same points but with an inferior net run-rate.