IPL 2022 Match 35 – 23-04-2022
The Gujarat Titans won the toss and Hardik Pandya chose to bat first at the D Y Patil Stadium on Saturday. The Titans did not put up an intimidating score on the scoreboard, but they still won the match against the Knight Riders and reclaimed their top spot on the points table. The Titans scored 156 for 9 and beat the Kolkata Knight Riders, who scored 148 for 8, by eight runs.
After scoring 156 runs, which did not seem enough, the Titans needed quick wickets. Shami,Ferguson and Dayal nicked some quick wickets, leaving the Riders short by 4 batters in 6.1 overs and contributing to the Titans’ win even after a 48 off 25 balls from Andre Russell.
Russell hit six sixes, taking the Knight Riders to needing 18 runs from the last over. Russell hit a six in the first ball, making a win seem very possible for the Knight Riders. But Ferguson managed a stunning catch off a bouncer by Alzarri Joseph, crushing any chances of a victory.
The Knight Riders picked Tim Southee instead of Pat Cummins in what seemed to be a good decision for the match. Southee bowled the second over when Shubman Gill lost his wicket to him. Hardik Pandya came in to bat at number 3, the highest position he has come in at for the Titans.
Pandya had some useful partnerships with Saha and Miller. He reached his 50 in 36 balls and completed a hat-trick of fifties before losing his wicket in the 18th over to Southee again.
When the Titans were 151 for 5 and the 20th over needed to be bowled, instead of choosing Varun Chakravarthy, Shreyas Iyer turned to Russell. And Russell delivered, taking the wickets of Abhinav Manohar, Tewatia and Ferguson, all caught by Rinku followed by a caught-and-bowled wicket of Yash Dayal. The four-wicket over by Russell led to the Titans’ score of just 156.
The openers of the Knight Riders suffered quick dismissals by Mohammed Shami. 10 for 2 soon led to 16 for 3 when Ferguson took Nitish Rana. The Knight Riders were looking at an enormous defeat when Shreyas Iyer lost his wicket to Yash Dayal, leaving the scoreboard at 34 runs for 4 wickets.
When Venkatesh Iyer walked in, the Knight Riders started building a partnership. Rinku reached 35 with a few boundaries and a six. The Knight Riders needed 77 with eight overs in hand when Yash Dayal nicked Rinku’s wicket with a catch behind. Russell then came in to bat at number 7 and ended Dayal’s over with sixes. Venkatesh was asked to stick around and support Russell, but he lost his wicket trying to play a shot against Rashid. Soon after, Rashid took Shivam Mavi, finishing off with 2 wickets and 22 runs.
The Knight Riders needed 45 from 4 overs when Hardik Pandya gave the 16th over to Shami and 17th to Ferguson. Dayal was asked to bowl over 19 during which he gave 11 runs. The first ball of the 20th over went for a six, but Russell lost his wicket, leading to the Knight Riders not achieving their target. The Titans won the match by eight runs.
