On a helpful Mullanpur pitch, R. Sai Kishore displayed excellent spin bowling, limiting Punjab Kings to a pitiful 142 before Rahul Tewatia put the finishing touches on a chase that could have gone horribly wrong after a number of wickets fell in the post-PowerPlay phase of the chase. The Titans’ fourth win of the year leaves them just a hair outside of the postseason spots. Conversely, the Kings have dropped four of their last five home games.
What changed that way?
The teams’ differences in depth of spin bowling stocks proved to be a major influence. Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmed, and R Sai Kishore combined for seven wickets for the Gujarat Titans. Liam Livingstone picked a few wickets for Punjab Kings’ spinners, but as can be seen below, PBKS was unable to match GT’s middle-over strikes.
The disparity between Middle-Overs [7–15]
| – | PBKS | GT |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 41/5 | 57/3 |
| Run-Rate | 4.55 | 6.33 |
| 4s/6s | 2/1 | 4/1 |
How did the match go?
PowerPlay: Prabhsimran gets off to a fast start
Phase Rating: 56/1 PBKS [RR: 9.33, 6/3 for 4s/6s]
Sam Curran chose to bat on the used surface, therefore Prabhsimran Singh called the opening strokes for the home team. Prabhsimran struck three fours and a six during his 21-run demolition of Sandeep Warrier in the second over, which was the pinnacle of this phase. Sam Curran had faced just four balls and scored six runs after three overs, but his partner’s aggressiveness more than made up for it. Shubman Gill had to bowl Mohit Sharma in the PowerPlay for just the third time in his GT career due to PBKS’s explosive start. Actually, Mohit bowled two wickets in the phase and, more importantly, got Prabhsimram caught behind for a 35 off 21 balls. Nevertheless, after six overs, PBKS had a strong 56/1 thanks to their second 50+ opening partnership of the season.
Middle Overs [7–15]: Rashid, Noor, and Sai Kishore go crazy
Phase Rating: 41/5 (PBKS) [RR: 4.55, 2/1 for 4s/6s]
Gill refuted the PBKS batsmen’s claims of speed, and his choice to field three front-line spinners was justified. Additionally, the GT captain made two excellent DRS calls that resulted in the wickets of Sam Curran and Rilee Rossouw, respectively. The Afghan duo, Noor Ahmad and Rashid Khan, exploited PBKS’s batting vulnerabilities to their advantage. Along with a fantastic googly, the left-arm wrist spinner got Liam Livingstone to edge to first slip. Despite being the second act in terms of timing, Sai Kishore ended up being the night’s primary attraction because to his skillful speed changes. After charging out and missing, Jitesh Sharma lost his stumps. Shashank Singh made a straightforward return catch as rising sensation Ashutosh Sharma, who hasn’t encountered much spin this IPL, was beaten in the flight and holed out. PBKS timidly fell from 52/0 to 99/7.
Death Overs [16–20]: Brar battles, but PBKS falls short in the end.
Phase Rating: 45/4 PBKS [9.00, 4s/6s: 4/1]
It was incorrect for PBKS to believe that spin would no longer be an issue. In the sixteenth over of the innings, Gill threw an over of Shahrukh Khan at them, and it went for just seven runs. In the eighteenth over, Harpreet Brar ultimately made the decision to remove the shackles, hitting Mohit for two fours. He scored four more runs and a six before being removed by David Miller in the 19th over of Sai Kishore’s innings, making him the fourth wicket taken by the left-arm spinners. After that, Mohit handed up just three runs in the last over, and PBKS was bowled out on the very last ball.
Gujarat Titans
PowerPlay: Gill launches steadily
Phase Rating: GT 44/1 [RR: 7.33, 6/0 for 4s/6s]
Although Gujarat Titans had been the PowerPlay’s slowest scoring team, there may have been reluctance to take a chance due to the target’s lack of intimidating qualities. Gill settled in well, hitting four of the six boundaries in this period, including two consecutive ones against Kagiso Rabada, despite losing Wriddhiman Saha to Arshdeep Singh early on. On the other hand, Punjab was encouraged to exert more effort than they did with the majority of the field up after their collapse in the post-PowerPlay phase.
Livingstone pulls PBKS back into the game in the middle innings.
Score for Phase: GT 57/3 6.33, 4s/6s: 4/1, RR:
Similar to the first innings, the addition of spin caused the scoring to be restrained. Harpreet Brar and Liam Livingstone bowled the opening three overs, which only yielded 21 runs and three boundaries for GT. Livingstone bowled legspin to Gill and offspin to left-hander Sai Sudharsan, demonstrating his matchup versatility. When Gill tried a loft in the tenth over, it only reached the long-off fielder, and he pulled in the big one. In his third over, David Miller attempted a swipe but failed, allowing Livingstone to score again. The all-round player finished his run of good form with 2 for 19. Even though Livingstone only managed to claim two wickets, his pressure helped PBKS secure another one when Sam Curran dismissed Sai Sudharsan for a quiet 31 off 34, leaving GT requiring 42 from the remaining five overs.
Death Overs: GT crosses the line with Tewatia special
Phase Rating: GT 45/3 10.8, 4s/6s: 6/1 [RR]
When Azmatullah Omarzai was removed by Harshal Patel in the fifteenth over, 42 off 30 swiftly turned into 38 off 24. But Tewatia had emerged victorious from considerably more challenging positions in the Titans games. In a 13-run over against Harpreet Brar, he smacked two fours to ease any anxiety, and in the 18th over against Kagiso Rabada, he hit three fours. Tewatia ended the game by smashing the first ball off the last over for a four to finish on an unbeaten 36 off 18 balls, although PBKS lost a couple of wickets in the 19th over, bowled by Harshal Patel. Shahrukh Khan contributed to ice the chase with a six over long-off in the over that brought 20 runs.
Brief scores: Gujarat Titans 146/7 in 19.1 overs (Rahul Tewatia 36*, Liam Livingstone 2-19) defeated Punjab Kings 142 in 20 overs (Prabhsimran Singh 35; R. Sai Kishore 4-33, Noor Ahmad 2-20) by 3 wickets.
What do the teams do next?
After finishing all of their games in Mullanpur, PBKS will travel to Kolkata on April 26 to take on the highly skilled KKR. The Gujarat Titans travel a lesser distance and have a quick turnaround. against April 24, they take against the Delhi Capitals at Arun Jaitley Stadium.
