David Miller has enhanced his reputation as the best finisher in this IPL 2022. His unbeaten 68 in 38 balls with three fours and five sixes including three consecutive ones on the on-side off Prasidh Krishna in the final over, in which Gujarat Titans needed 16 to win, took the IPL debutants to the final.
Chasing Rajasthan Royals’ challenging 188 for six in the first Qualifier at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, Titans reached home in emphatic style by seven wickets and with three balls to spare. Miller was ably supported by captain Hardik Pandya, who stayed unbeaten on 40 in 27 balls with five fours. Their 106-run partnership in exactly 10 overs was the key in which they denied RR spin twins R Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal any wicket.
Gujarat Titans have been great chasers. Six of their 10 wins in the league phase came while chasing, all in last-over finishes, two of them off the last ball. Miller has been at the center of Titans’ successful run chases and Tuesday was yet another dominating performance from the 32-year-old South African left-hander.
On a surface that was two-paced and keeping low for a majority of the first 20 overs, Rajasthan Royals posted an imposing total. RR captain Sanju Samson did not mind losing his 13th toss in 15 matches – the most in an IPL season by any captain in 15 years of the league. He showed the way early on with some free hitting even as opener and Orange Cap holder Jos Buttler played a strange innings.
Buttler’s fourth fifty in this edition to go with three hundreds – 89 (56 balls, 12x4, 2x6) – batting for almost the entire RR innings, and Samson’s 26-ball 47 (5x4, 2x6) took the 2008 champions to 188 for six.
Take away GT’s Rashid Khan bowling figures of 4-0-15-0 and RR’s other bowlers including their leading wicket-taker Md Shami got the stick from Buttler and Samson, and to some extent the left-handed Devdutt Padikkal (28, 20b, 2x4, 2x6).
After losing the left-handed opener Yashasvi Jaiswal in the second over, nicking behind left-arm medium-pacer Yash Dayal, Samson dominated the second-wicket partnership of 68 in 47 balls. Buttler, who began with three beautifully cover-driven fours off Shami, went into a shell for a while before opening up in the death overs as RR added 61 runs in the last four overs after Rashid finished his quota of overs.
Samson was on song and dealt in fours and sixes only that his first 30 runs came only in boundaries. Strong on the on-side, the first ball he faced was lofted effortlessly over long-on off for six Dayal. He was elegant with his pull over mid-wicket and drives on either side of the wicket, a six over mid-wicket off Alzarri Joseph in the sixth over not only brought RR’s 50 but also took him past 400 runs in this edition. He looked good for more when he lofted Sai Kishore straight to long-on fielder, unable to connect it in the middle of the bat.
Buttler was quiet all along that his contribution in the second-wicket partnership was only 15. The Englishman dealt only in ones and the rare twos in the company of Padikkal that he added only seven to the third-wicket stand of 37 with the young batsman from Karnataka, who swept and pulled Kishore for sixes and cut him behind square for fours.
It was only after Padikkal, was out in the 15th over, chopping Hardik Pandya on to the stumps that Buttler began to play his attacking shots. So much so that the man with the most sixes in this IPL hit his first six only in the 19th over – a straight one off Md Shami. It was fours behind the bowler and wide of long-on that accounted for most of Buttler’s runs in the end.
Often, Buttler’s knocks end up on the winning side for RR. But, on Tuesday, his performance was over shadowed by Miller. All is not lost for Royals, who still have another go at the final when they await the winner of Wednesday’s Eliminator between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore in the second Qualifier to be played in Ahmedabad on Friday.
For now, Titans have four full days to get ready for Sunday’s final in Ahmedabad.
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