IPL 2022 Qualifier 1: Playing their first-ever season in the Indian Premier League, Gujarat Titans reached the finals after beating Rajasthan Royals by 7 wickets on Tuesday at Eden Gardens Stadium. The wicket was slightly sticky and wasn’t easy to bat in the first innings. However, Rajasthan did extremely well to post a good enough total of 188 runs on the board.
Jos Buttler was struggling to get the timing right in the first half of the innings. But Sanju Samson didn’t let him get under too much pressure as he went after the bowlers right from the ball one. He smashed 47 runs in just 26 balls, a knock which was laced with 5 fours and 3 sixes. Samson got out on the last ball of the 10th over but Buttler played right till the end.
He stayed at the crease till the last over and, also rode his luck at times. Buttler played a sensational knock of 89 runs in 56 balls, helping the team notch a competitive score on the board. Padikkal also made a crucial contribution of 28 runs in 20 balls.
In pursuit of the score, Gujarat needed a good start but Saha got out on the second ball of the first over. However, Gill and Mathew Wade then steadied the ship as the duo added 72 runs for the second wicket before Shubman Gill, unfortunately, got run-out in the 8th over. He played a valuable knock of 35 runs in 21 balls. 10 balls later, Mathew Wade also got out off Obed McCoy for 35 off 30 balls.
But Hardik Pandya and David Miller then stitched a sensational unbeaten partnership to take the team home with three balls remaining in the end. The duo complimented each other wonderfully and didn’t let the opposition bowler create any sort of pressure.
Miller got out after scoring 68 runs in 38 balls, including 3 fours and 5 sixes. On the other hand, Hardik Pandya too played a stellar unbeaten knock of 40 runs in 27 deliveries. Needing 16 runs in the final over, David Miller smashed three sixes in three successive deliveries off Krishna to finish the game for the team.
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