#TATAIPL2022 : Match 57 : Gujarat Titans Seal Play-Offs Spot In Style; Thrash Lucknow Super Giants By 62 Runs, Shubman Gill, Rashid Khan Stand Tall

Picture : Twitter / IPL

After two back- to back losses Gujarat Titans bounced back to thrash Lucknow Super Giants on a slow pitch to win by 62 runs in the 57th match of the tournament  that too defending a small total of 144/4. The win saw the Titans become the first team to qualify for the play-0ffs in the Tata IPL 2022.

GT skipper Hardik Pandya won the toss and batted first . Wriddhiman Saha was out early for ( 5). Matthew Wade ( 10). Skipper Hardik Pandya ( 11), David Miller ( 26) failed to get a big one. As wickets feel around him, Opener Shubman Gill carried his bat all the way and played all the 20 overs . How crucial the Gill innings was was proved at the end of the match . Gill was superb in his unbeaten 63 ( 49 balls , 7 fours). Rahul Tewatia gave Gill company till the end finishing unbeaten on 16 ball 22. Gujarat Titans posted a low total of 144 / 4 in their 20 overs. Given the LSG batting fire- power it looked a small total

Lucknow bowlers did a fine job restricting the Titans batting line-up : Avesh Khan 2/ 26 (4 overs) , Mohsin Khan 1/18 (4 overs), Dushmantha Chameera 0/34 (4 overs), Krunal Pandya 0/ 24 ( 4 overs), Jason Holder 1/ 41 ( 4 overs)

Chasing a small total one thought LSG would romp home. But the slow surface was a tricky one . Hardik Pandya had read thew wicket correctly and chose to bat first. The move was vindicated as LSG batsmen found runs hard to come by .

With run- rate climbing and forced to play their shots, LSG batting choked under pressure and collapsed to  a dismal 82 all out in 13. 5 overs . Royal Challengers Bangalore, though hold the record for the lowest total this season 68 against Sunrisers Hyderabad earlier in the tournament.

Only three batsmen reached double figures said it all : Quinton de Kock ( 11) , Deepak Hooda ( 27), Avesh Khan ( 12) . The rest flopped . LSG skipper and in-from K L Rahul out for ( 8), Karan Sharma ( 5), Krunal Pandya ( 5), Ayush Badoni ( 8), Marcus Stoinis run-out ( 2), Jason Holder ( 1)

For the Titans, the magician Rashid Khan was the star with 4/ 24 (3.5 overs), Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore 2/7 (2 overs), Mohammed Shami 1/ 5 ( 3 overs), Yash Dayal 2/ 24 ( 2 overs) , Alzarri Joseph 0/ 14 ( 2 overs), Hardik Pandya 0/ 8 ( 1 over)