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Delhi restricted Chennai to 112 for nine but the visitors’ run-chase looked to have been derailed as they sunk to 38 for four.
But Gambhir and Mithun Manhas combined for an unbroken fifth-wicket partnership of 75 as Delhi eased to 113 for four and victory with eight balls of their innings remaining.
Delhi captain Gambhir, who battled with the extremely hot and humid conditions, reached his eighth IPL fifty off 51 balls before ending the match not out on 57 off 56 balls.
Manhas provided his skipper with excellent support as he finished unbeaten on 25.
Delhi endured a horror start to their innings as they lost David Warner’s (0) wicket in the first over when the batsman was caught at cover off a delivery from off-spinner Ravi Ashwin.
Fast bowler Doug Bollinger then sent down an inspired over that saw him pick up the wickets of Virender Sehwag (4), caught at first slip, and Tillakaratne Dilshan (1), who inside edged a ball back onto his stumps.
Gambhir and Dinesh Karthik (13) looked to have stabilised the innings before Karthik top-edged a delivery from left-arm spinner Shadab Jakati to midwicket.
Bollinger finished the match with figures of two for 24.
Earlier, Chennai’s batsmen failed to cope with Delhi’s aggressive fast bowlers and spinners who extracted appreciable turn.
The right-handed Subramaniam Badrinath, who top-scored with 30, was the only batsmen to score more then 17 runs.
Delhi’s bowlers shared the wickets to fall with left-arm swing bowler Ashish Nehra finishing with three for 26 while off-spinner Virender Sehwag picked up two for 18 off four overs.
Leg-spinner Amit Mishra was particularly miserly as he collected one for 13 off four overs.
Nehra was responsible for most of the early carnage as he had Matthew Hayden (1) caught at extra cover before Murali Vijay (17) skied a short ball with keeper Dinesh Karthik completing the catch.
Left-arm quick Dirk Nannes accounted for Mahendra Singh Dhoni (0), caught at square leg, before Suresh Raina (15) and Mike Hussey (15) stopped the rot somewhat with a fourth-wicket stand of 29, the second highest of the innings.
But Raina perished when he slapped a delivery from off-spinner Tillakaratne Dilshan to deep cover as the home side stumbled to 52 for four.
Hussey departed one run later when Sehwag had the batsman caught at short cover.
Sehwag struck again in the same over when he had Albie Morkel (1) caught at first slip by Paul Collingwood as Chennai reached the ten over mark on a dismal 55 for six.
But Badrinath and Bollinger (16 not out) breathed some life back into the innings with a ninth-wicket stand of 35 before Badrinath was caught at long-on off the last ball of the innings to give Nehra his third wicket.
The result moves Delhi to third on the IPL standings with 14 points while Chennai are in fourth place, two points behind Delhi.
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