David Miller's half-century wasn't enough for Gujarat Titans as they went down by four runs to Delhi Capitals in Delhi on Wednesday.
Miller scored 55 off 23 balls - including 22 runs off the bowling of Anrich Nortje - before falling to Mukesh Kumar in the 18th over. Gujarat finished on 220-8.
Earlier, Delhi posted 224-4 on the back of an unbeaten 88 off 43 balls from skipper Rishabh Pant, a 43-ball 66 from Axar Patel and a seven-ball cameo from Tristan Stubbs (26*).
It was Pant's third half-century of the season after 14 months away from top-level cricket following a horrific car crash in December 2022 when his Mercedes hit a barrier, overturned and caught fire.
The wicketkeeper-batsman was airlifted to Mumbai for further treatment and surgery after suffering multiple injuries.
Not only has he fired with the bat in the IPL, but his sharp work behind the stumps has led Delhi director of cricket Sourav Ganguly and coach Ricky Ponting to back the Indian star for the World Cup in June.
Rising Australian batsman Jake Fraser-McGurk gave Delhi a strong start with his 14-ball 23, but medium-paced bowler Sandeep Warrier took three wickets, including two in an over.
Patel, a bowling all-rounder who has been promoted to No 3 in the batting order, brought up his fifty with a boundary off Rashid before another Afghanistan spinner, Noor Ahmad, had him caught at long-on.
Pant reached his fifty in style with a six off Mohit Sharma and then hammered the medium-paced bowler in a 31-run 20th over, finishing with a six, four, and three over the fence to raise the roof.
Stubbs watched the blitz from the other end after hitting Sai Kishore for an unbeaten seven-ball 26 in the 22-run 19th over.
In reply, Gujarat lost skipper Shubman Gill for a six off Nortje before substitute Sai Sudarshan smashed a 39-ball 65.
Gujarat kept losing wickets, but the left-handed Miller smashed Nortje for three sixes and a four to give Delhi a scare before he departed.
Rashid kept up the fight until the end, with Gujarat needing 19 off the last over and five off the last ball.
But Mukesh held his nerve in the final over to give Delhi their fourth win in nine matches and keep their play-off hopes alive.