Match Details
R(B) | 4S | 6S | SR |
---|---|---|---|
30 (10)62 (53) | 2 8 | 3 1 | 300.00 116.98 |
Session | Open | PASS | 6 Over | 45 | 43 | 10 Over | 73 | 76 | 15 Over | 117 | 117 |
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Session | Open | PASS | 6 Over | 47 | 42 | 10 Over | 73 | 62 | 15 Over | 105 | 98 | 20 Over | 148 | 143 |
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Arya- At the start of the run-chase, Punjab Kings would have definitely taken the target of 144 runs and the Gujarat Titans needed early wickets to put any sort of pressure under the Punjab Kings batters. Mayank Agarwal who has been struggling for runs didn’t come out to bat in his usual opening position. Instead, it was Jonny Bairstow and Shikhar Dhawan who began proceedings and couldn’t quite get the start Punjab would have liked. Mohammed Shami bagged the wicket of Bairstow in his 2nd over to reduce Punjab to 10/1. They needed to rebuild and it was provided by the two stylish left-handers Shikhar Dhawan and Bhanuka Rajapaksa.
Both the batters played very sensibly and ensured that there were no hiccups in the middle overs. They stroke the ball very well and never really allowed the required rate to creep up at any stage. They were well in control of the chase and the GT bowlers had no ideas in front of batsmanship of the highest order from the two. They didn’t take undue risks but never really backed away from going after the bowlers.
The duo shared an 87 runs partnership to lay the platform for an easy run-chase in the end. Rajapaksa was eventually dismissed by Lockie Ferguson but not before he had brought his side to the threshold of victory. His innings of 40 came in 28 deliveries and was studded with 8 fours and a couple of sixes. The ball angled into the left-hander and he missed the attempted whip of his legs.
Liam Livingstone was sent above Mayank Agarwal to ensure that Punja Kings finished it off well and early. With 27 runs required of 30 deliveries, Livingstone decided to launch a brutal assault on Mohammed Shami as he smoked him for three consecutive, one of which was the biggest in the tournament (117 metres). That almost went out of the stadium. It was one of the biggest sixes I have ever seen in my life. He finished off the match with a boundary down the third man region.
Earlier in the day it was GT skipper Hardik Pandya who won the toss and opted to bat which hasn't been the case with other captains. He wanted to test his team out of their comfort zone. Wriddhiman Saha and Shubhman Gill got them off to a good start with a few cracking shots. However Gill was dismissed early as he went for a non-existent run and fell well short of the crease. Wriddhiman Saha played some delightful shots to begin with but eventually perished of the bowling of Kagiso Rabada as he kept bowling outside off.
Rishi Dhawan then removed GT skipper Hardik Pandya early just at the end of the powerplay. That was a massive blow as Hardik is the leading run-getter for GT in this tournament. Sai Sudharsan had a difficult time to begin with but gradually settled down and it was only due to his contribution of 65 runs in 50 deliveries which got their side over the 140 mark. All the other batters couldn't quite get going as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. For Punjab Kings, it was Kagiso Rabada who was the most successful bowler finishing with figures of 4/33.