Tag: Punjab Kings vs Gujarat Titans

  • Kagiso Rabada, Shikhar Dhawan lead Punjab Kings to 8-wicket win over Gujarat Titans

    Express News Service

    CHENNAI: Gujarat Titans have enjoyed chasing. Five matches. Five wins. Their middle-order (David Miller, Rashid Khan and Rahul Tewatia) averages 99.75, strikes at over 165, hits sixes in all areas against all bowlers and have been the side’s magic workers at the death under the lights.

    But with qualification to the play-offs almost assured and a lot of spare games in the bank, Hardik Pandya wanted to test the battle-readiness of the franchise. So he became the first captain of the 2022 season to bat first in a night game.

    Their opponents, Punjab Kings, would have killed to have been in such a state of mind. With their gung-ho approach in tatters after a series of largely underwhelming performances with both bat and ball, they needed a win to resuscitate their campaign.

    Resuscitate they did with a commanding performance with bat and ball to pick up their fifth win of the season.

    Considering the stakes, it was only apt that their bowlers belatedly came to the fore on a surface where scoring freely was proving to be a difficult proposition. That Gujarat managed to hit only two sixes was an indication of this. At one point of time during the first innings, even the ones and twos required the batters to improvise.

    The passage of play, the six overs between the end of the powerplay and the start of the 13th over summed up the first 20 overs in a microcosm: 13 dots, 18 singles, 2 wickets and one boundary. In the end, they limped to 143/8, their worst score of the season so far. Curiously, it was also the second most economical bowling display by Punjab.

    Chasing down 144 was never going to be a problem even if Jonny Bairstow, promoted to open the batting, perished cheaply. Bhanuka Rajapaksa (40 off 28) provided the initial thrust before Liam Livingstone finished it off with 6, 6, 6, 4, 2, 4 in the 16th over to win the game with four overs and eight wickets to spare.  

    Coming back to the Gujarat innings, the target would have been smaller if not for Sai Sudharsan’s gritty, unbeaten 65 off 50 balls. It wasn’t pretty by any stretch of imagination but the Tamil Nadu man applied himself, dotted up even as wickets fell at the other end (he was 31 off 30 at one stage) before hitting out at the end. Sudharsan’s knock will please the management because No 3 has been a sticky spot for them. If the southpaw can showcase the same nous going forward, it will further enhance Gujarat’s chances of progressing in the tournament.

    If the 20-year-old was the glue that held the innings together, Punjab’s Kagiso Rabada acted as the adhesive remover. The South African pacer is elite but not necessarily so in this format. He has frequently gone for plenty, especially at the death (economy of 9.38 at the death in IPL).

    That aspect of his game was visible on Tuesday as well, Wriddhiman Saha, who plays the role of powerplay destroyer, took him for 20 runs (three fours and a six) off his first 10 deliveries. Then Rabada extracted additional bounce off the surface — a trait this surface had in abundance — to account for the ‘keeper. He then returned at the death to dismiss Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan off consecutive deliveries to derail the innings in some fashion.

    If Punjab are to fashion an unlikely late season run to have a chance of making the playoffs, this version of Rabada has to lead from the front. He is their most experienced bowler but he has frequently been outbowled by the likes of Arshdeep Singh.

    Brief Scores: Gujarat 143/8 in 20 overs (Sudharsan 65 n.o; Rabada 4/33) lost to Punjab 145/2 in 16 overs (Dhawan 62 n.o, Rajapaksa 40)

  • Kagiso Rabada, Shikhar Dhawan lead Punjab Kings to 8-wicket win over Gujarat Titans

    Express News Service

    CHENNAI: Gujarat Titans have enjoyed chasing. Five matches. Five wins. Their middle-order (David Miller, Rashid Khan and Rahul Tewatia) averages 99.75, strikes at over 165, hits sixes in all areas against all bowlers and have been the side’s magic workers at the death under the lights.

    But with qualification to the play-offs almost assured and a lot of spare games in the bank, Hardik Pandya wanted to test the battle-readiness of the franchise. So he became the first captain of the 2022 season to bat first in a night game.

    Their opponents, Punjab Kings, would have killed to have been in such a state of mind. With their gung-ho approach in tatters after a series of largely underwhelming performances with both bat and ball, they needed a win to resuscitate their campaign.

    Resuscitate they did with a commanding performance with bat and ball to pick up their fifth win of the season.

    Considering the stakes, it was only apt that their bowlers belatedly came to the fore on a surface where scoring freely was proving to be a difficult proposition. That Gujarat managed to hit only two sixes was an indication of this. At one point of time during the first innings, even the ones and twos required the batters to improvise.

    The passage of play, the six overs between the end of the powerplay and the start of the 13th over summed up the first 20 overs in a microcosm: 13 dots, 18 singles, 2 wickets and one boundary. In the end, they limped to 143/8, their worst score of the season so far. Curiously, it was also the second most economical bowling display by Punjab.

    Chasing down 144 was never going to be a problem even if Jonny Bairstow, promoted to open the batting, perished cheaply. Bhanuka Rajapaksa (40 off 28) provided the initial thrust before Liam Livingstone finished it off with 6, 6, 6, 4, 2, 4 in the 16th over to win the game with four overs and eight wickets to spare.  

    Coming back to the Gujarat innings, the target would have been smaller if not for Sai Sudharsan’s gritty, unbeaten 65 off 50 balls. It wasn’t pretty by any stretch of imagination but the Tamil Nadu man applied himself, dotted up even as wickets fell at the other end (he was 31 off 30 at one stage) before hitting out at the end. Sudharsan’s knock will please the management because No 3 has been a sticky spot for them. If the southpaw can showcase the same nous going forward, it will further enhance Gujarat’s chances of progressing in the tournament.

    If the 20-year-old was the glue that held the innings together, Punjab’s Kagiso Rabada acted as the adhesive remover. The South African pacer is elite but not necessarily so in this format. He has frequently gone for plenty, especially at the death (economy of 9.38 at the death in IPL).

    That aspect of his game was visible on Tuesday as well, Wriddhiman Saha, who plays the role of powerplay destroyer, took him for 20 runs (three fours and a six) off his first 10 deliveries. Then Rabada extracted additional bounce off the surface — a trait this surface had in abundance — to account for the ‘keeper. He then returned at the death to dismiss Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan off consecutive deliveries to derail the innings in some fashion.

    If Punjab are to fashion an unlikely late season run to have a chance of making the playoffs, this version of Rabada has to lead from the front. He is their most experienced bowler but he has frequently been outbowled by the likes of Arshdeep Singh.

    Brief Scores: Gujarat 143/8 in 20 overs (Sudharsan 65 n.o; Rabada 4/33) lost to Punjab 145/2 in 16 overs (Dhawan 62 n.o, Rajapaksa 40)

    CHENNAI: Gujarat Titans have enjoyed chasing. Five matches. Five wins. Their middle-order (David Miller, Rashid Khan and Rahul Tewatia) averages 99.75, strikes at over 165, hits sixes in all areas against all bowlers and have been the side’s magic workers at the death under the lights.

    But with qualification to the play-offs almost assured and a lot of spare games in the bank, Hardik Pandya wanted to test the battle-readiness of the franchise. So he became the first captain of the 2022 season to bat first in a night game.

    Their opponents, Punjab Kings, would have killed to have been in such a state of mind. With their gung-ho approach in tatters after a series of largely underwhelming performances with both bat and ball, they needed a win to resuscitate their campaign.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Resuscitate they did with a commanding performance with bat and ball to pick up their fifth win of the season.

    Considering the stakes, it was only apt that their bowlers belatedly came to the fore on a surface where scoring freely was proving to be a difficult proposition. That Gujarat managed to hit only two sixes was an indication of this. At one point of time during the first innings, even the ones and twos required the batters to improvise.

    The passage of play, the six overs between the end of the powerplay and the start of the 13th over summed up the first 20 overs in a microcosm: 13 dots, 18 singles, 2 wickets and one boundary. In the end, they limped to 143/8, their worst score of the season so far. Curiously, it was also the second most economical bowling display by Punjab.

    Chasing down 144 was never going to be a problem even if Jonny Bairstow, promoted to open the batting, perished cheaply. Bhanuka Rajapaksa (40 off 28) provided the initial thrust before Liam Livingstone finished it off with 6, 6, 6, 4, 2, 4 in the 16th over to win the game with four overs and eight wickets to spare.  

    Coming back to the Gujarat innings, the target would have been smaller if not for Sai Sudharsan’s gritty, unbeaten 65 off 50 balls. It wasn’t pretty by any stretch of imagination but the Tamil Nadu man applied himself, dotted up even as wickets fell at the other end (he was 31 off 30 at one stage) before hitting out at the end. Sudharsan’s knock will please the management because No 3 has been a sticky spot for them. If the southpaw can showcase the same nous going forward, it will further enhance Gujarat’s chances of progressing in the tournament.

    If the 20-year-old was the glue that held the innings together, Punjab’s Kagiso Rabada acted as the adhesive remover. The South African pacer is elite but not necessarily so in this format. He has frequently gone for plenty, especially at the death (economy of 9.38 at the death in IPL).

    That aspect of his game was visible on Tuesday as well, Wriddhiman Saha, who plays the role of powerplay destroyer, took him for 20 runs (three fours and a six) off his first 10 deliveries. Then Rabada extracted additional bounce off the surface — a trait this surface had in abundance — to account for the ‘keeper. He then returned at the death to dismiss Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan off consecutive deliveries to derail the innings in some fashion.

    If Punjab are to fashion an unlikely late season run to have a chance of making the playoffs, this version of Rabada has to lead from the front. He is their most experienced bowler but he has frequently been outbowled by the likes of Arshdeep Singh.

    Brief Scores: Gujarat 143/8 in 20 overs (Sudharsan 65 n.o; Rabada 4/33) lost to Punjab 145/2 in 16 overs (Dhawan 62 n.o, Rajapaksa 40)

  • IPL 2022: Gujarat Titans too good for Punjab Kings’ all-or-nothing approach

    Express News Service

    CHENNAI: There was something strange about Punjab Kings’ innings. Since the start of the season, with fresh faces at their disposal, they have already established a style of play with the bat, which is to be committed in attack no matter what. These are early days but when it led to their downfall against Kolkata Knight Riders, they bounced back by sticking to the philosophy against Chennai Super Kings.

    Against Gujarat Titans, as Punjab finished with 189/9 on board, they left you wondering if they had managed a very good total or they left a few more runs behind at the Brabourne Stadium. And with 12 runs needed off two balls as Rahul Tewatia hit Odean Smith for two sixes to keep Gujarat Titans unbeaten, you knew where it cost Punjab. More on that latter.

    At the end of the powerplay with Mayank Agarwal (5) and Jonny Bairstow (8) dismissed, Punjab were placed 43/2. This was their slowest start to an innings this season.

    Prior to this contest against Gujarat, they had been scoring at 10.9 RPO in the powerplay for the loss of five wickets. And instrumental to that has been Bhanuka Rajapaksa, who had to make way for Bairstow on Friday. Given the context, Gujarat started really well to keep Punjab quiet by their standards.

    The middle-overs is where teams usually tend to slow down, they have maintained the momentum. Against Royal Challengers Bangalore they scored 99 runs between overs 7-16 for the loss of 5 wickets and in their match against Chennai got 80 runs. And these were on the back of them getting off to a good start.

    But on Friday, having lost two key players and Shikhar Dhawan far from his fluent best (35 off 30b), they still managed to stick to their philosophy and keep them in the contest by scoring 112 runs from seventh over to the 16th.

    And it was largely thanks to Liam Livingstone, whose 27-ball 64 (7×4, 46) changed the momentum single-handedly. Starting his innings by scoring a boundary off the first ball, he played only three dot balls in total.

    Although he lost Dhawan, Jitesh Sharma ensured the pressure wasn’t on Livingstone alone, scoring 23 off 11. While Odean Smith was dismissed off the first ball he faced – stuck to their philosophy, went for a big shot and was caught on long-on – Shahrukh Khan contributed 15 off 8.

    Yet, as they finished their innings, it felt as if they still left a few more runs behind. Having scored at 7 runs an over at the end of as many overs, from there on, Punjab’s run-rate gradually increased 10.13 at the end of 15 overs.

    With no more specialist batters to follow, the onus was on Livingstone and Shahrukh to ferry them to a total that would be beyond Gujarat’s reach. Instead, both perished, trying to go after Rashid Khan.

    It meant, Punjab managed 34 more runs, it still felt the target was not beyond Gujarat’s reach.With Shubman Gill (96) showing the way, they remained in the hunt right through with Sai Sudarshan (35), Hardik Pandya (27) making key contributions before Tewatia finished it up in his trademark style.

    Which brings the question, did Punjab’s approach cost them dear on the night, especially at the end. A few more runs would have given them the cushion, but it is the risk that Punjab are willing to take for playing a brand of cricket that is surely going to make everyone sit and enjoy in their couch.

    Brief Scores: Punjab Kings 189/9 in 20 overs (Livingstone 64, Dhawan 35; Rashid 3/35) lost to Gujarat Titans 190/4 in 20 overs (Gill 96, Sudharsan 35; Rabada 2/35)