GT vs RR, GT won by 7 wickets: match details
The Gujarat Titans (GT) advanced to the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 finals with a 7-wicket victory over the Rajasthan Royals (SRH) at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Tuesday. David Miller rose to the occasion, scoring an undefeated 68*(38) to lead Gujarat Titans to a victorious chase and a spot in the finals. Wriddhiman Saha, the wicket-keeper batter, was caught behind off Trent Boult's bowling in the opening over as GT chased 189 for a place in the finals. After smashing five fours at the top, Matthew Wade and Shubman Gill countered the strain of losing an early wicket.
Gill ripped Ashwin apart with two fours and a six in the first over, putting GT at 64-1 at the end of the powerplay. Shubman Gill was run-out due to a misunderstanding in the middle, putting an end to the potentially deadly alliance. Hardik Pandya was out in the middle, but GT lost another wicket when Wade was bowled by Obed McCoy and holed out to the deep. At the 10-over stage, GT were 97-3, with David Miller joining Hardik in the middle. After allowing only 17 runs in the next three overs, RR increased the pressure. As GT needed 50 off the final five overs, Pandya hit a release shot against Ashwin, while Miller smashed his first six.
As Miller and Pandya made calculated risks to bring GT closer to the mark, the 150 was up for grabs. Miller hit a maximum straight down the middle to reduce the equation to 23 off 12. Miller got his half-century in the final over before wrapping up the chase with three sixes in the first three deliveries of the final over. GT had put RR in to bat first earlier. With two well-timed fours in the first over, Jos Buttler was off the mark. RR, on the other hand, lost Yashasvi Jaiswal early on when the opener was caught behind by Yash Dayal's bowling.
After RR skipper Sanju Samson smashed three sixes inside the powerplay, RR were 55-1 at the end of the six overs. Samson and Buttler had put on a fifty-run partnership, but Rashid Khan kept things tight from one end after giving eight runs in his opening two overs. After Samson was caught at long-on for 47, R Sai Kishore ended the partnership, and RR were placed at 79/2 at the 10-over mark. Buttler was joined by Devdutt Padikkal, who got his first maximum against Sai Kishore by clearing the ropes. After Padikkal pulled the delivery on to the stumps, GT skipper Hardik Pandya supplied the next breakthrough.
Buttler's half-century was over when he added four fours in the 17th over against Yash Dayal and was given a reprieve. Buttler scored three more fours in the 18th over, with luck on his side, while Shimron Hetmyer was caught in the deep in the next over, bowled by Shami. Buttler was run-out in the penultimate over, but not before he hit Shami and Yash Dayal for sixes each. Riyan Parag was run out due to miscommunication in the middle before RR reached 188/6 at the end of 20 overs.
Scores: Gujarat Titans 191/3 (David Miller 62*, Hardik Pandya 40*; Trent Boult 1-38) beat Rajasthan Royals 188/6 (Jos Buttler 89, Sanju Samson 47; Hardik Pandya 1-14) by 7 wickets.
