The Gujarat Titans (GT) successfully defended a 157-run target and made a resounding statement that they can defend a decent total too. Defending 157 is not everyone’s cup of tea, as one good phase of play can change the momentum and dynamics of the match.
The likes of Shami, Ferguson, and the rest of the lineup faced an uphill task. KKR batters needed one big partnership of 60-70 runs, which is quite easy at this moment, but they failed to attain it. This loss means that KKR have a tough task on their hands as they have to win 8 matches out of 14 to progress to the play-offs as winning 7 won’t work.
On the other hand, the Gujarat Titans, on the other hand, have one foot in the playoffs and would aim for a top-two finish, which gives them two chances to make it to the play-offs.
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GT with the bat in hand
GT started their innings with a blow as Shubman Gill was dismissed. The skipper, Hardik Pandya, once again was seen taking responsibility for taking the team out of trouble. He played a captain’s knock of 67 runs in 49 balls. The way he targeted bowlers was amazing as he scored only 4 fours and 2 sixes. He is definitely on a mission to get back into the Indian team after a poor performance in the T20 World Cup 2021.
But his dismissal meant that GT fell like a pack of cards as no batter scored 30 odd runs. The likes of Miller and Tewatia, who are known to be finishers, weren’t able to score a cameo. Andre Russell made a record by taking 4 wickets in a single over as no bowler had achieved this feat in the history of the IPL.
Tim Southee made a statement that he is too good a player to warm the benches as he took the place of Pat Cummins, who was dropped by KKR management. Southee had remarkable figures of 3 for 24 and made sure that GT was not posting a challenging total of 190 runs.
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KKR with the bat in hand
KKR got off to a horrible start in the run chase of 157 where they lost 3 wickets, and just after the power-play overs, the skipper Shreyas Iyer was dismissed by the tyro Yash Dayal. All of a sudden, KKR were in a spot of bother as they had lost the top-order for a paltry 34 runs. Venkatesh Iyer and Rinku Singh then tried to resurrect the innings. Just when it looked like both batters would hunt down the target, both of them were dismissed.
Russell got a life and made sure that GT would regret it, and he was just asserting his dominance. His contest with Lockie was a treat to watch. The left-arm pacer who was beaten then took his revenge in the 20th over by removing Russell. Russell’s wicket was the end of the run chase as GT won the match by 8 runs and, interestingly, Rashid Khan was the stand-in captain.
