Nine years back, Kings XI Punjab’s David Miller arguably played the greatest knock in the Indian Premier League (IPL) history to stun Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at Mohali. Now, in another era, he recreated the magic for Gujarat Titans (GT) at the MCA Stadium, Pune, against the defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
With no Hardik Pandya in the line-up, Gujarat went from 16/3 in the fourth over to 48/4 in eight overs in pursuit of 170. But Miller (94* off 51) and stand-in captain Rashid Khan (40 off 21) produced an incredible finish for the new franchise against the age-old wily Yellow Brigade.
Gujarat have certainly made it a habit to produce thrillers at will to emerge as one of the most exciting sides to watch.
With five wins from six matches and 10 points, the Titans comfortably lead the table as Chennai languish at ninth spot, with five defeats from six games.
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While Miller kept Gujarat in the contest with his consistent power-hitting, the contest turned in the 18th over, bowled by Chris Jordan. Gujarat needed 48 in three overs, but Rashid hammered 6, 4, 6, 6 off the first four balls to alter the course of the match.
Dwayne Bravo’s brilliant variations of pace and lengths kept Chennai ahead in the contest for most parts, but Jordan once again faced the Miller juggernaut in the final over when he had to defend 13 from it.
Chennai Super Kings 169/5 in 20 overs
With regular captain Hardik Pandya suffering from a niggle, Rashid stepped in, won the toss and opted to bowl. Mohammed Shami (4-0-20-1) ensured another strong start for the Titans by pinning the in-form Robin Uthappa (3 in 10 balls) in the third over. Debuting for Gujarat, Alzarri Joseph struck with his second ball, cleaning up Moeen Ali to ensure Gujarat won the Powerplay.
With 35 runs from five innings this season, IPL 2021 Orange Cap holder Ruturaj Gaikwad finally came good this season. With a glorious range of pulls and flicks, 25-year-old Gaikwad weaved a 92-run stand from 55 balls with the experienced Ambati Rayudu (46 off 31).
From 124/2 in 14 overs, Gujarat staged bowlers staged a strong comeback. Joseph conceded a solitary run in the 15th over and dismissed Rayudu. Shami conceded four in the 16th over, while Yash Dayal went for six in the 17th, dismissing the free-flowing Gaikwad. Between the 15th and 19 overs, Gujarat conceded 27 runs and picked up two wickets before Ravindra Jadeja (22* off 12) opened his arms.
Not for the first time in IPL, Jadeja plundered runs against Lockie Ferguson, who went for 18 off his final over. Jadeja and Shivam Dube’s (19* off 17) unbeaten 38-run stand from 22 balls ensured Chennai had a competitive score.
Going wicketless for 46 from his four overs, Ferguson registered his fourth-worst bowling figures in IPL. Three of these four entries are against Chennai. Ferguson consistently hit the 150 kph on Sunday, but he now averages 189 against CSK, going at almost 12 an over.
Gujarat Titans 170/7 in 19.5 overs
GT were off to a horrendous start with the bat. Shubman Gill fell first ball, cutting a short, wide delivery to point.
Vijay Shankar’s horror IPL continued as he perished for a duck, trying to cut Maheesh Theekshana. Shankar now has 19 runs in IPL 2022 at 4.75, striking at 54. Theekshana got Abhinav Manohar as well.
Then Miller took over. He found boundaries at will, even as Gujarat debutant Wriddhiman Saha (11 off 18), who opened the innings, found going tough at the other end. He fell in the eighth over, trying to hit Jadeja out of the ground.
After going for 6/1 in his first two overs, Jadeja was plundered for 19 runs by Miller in his third. But just when Gujarat were looking to crawl back into the contest, Bravo struck in his first over with a slower ball, which meant there was no Sunday night Rahul Tewatia magic. The wicket maiden from Bravo swung the game heavily in CSK’s favour.
Rashid began watchfully, managing eight off just 12 balls until the 17th over. He then helicoptered Jordan for 25 runs and brought the equation down to 23 off the final two overs. Ironically, M.S. Dhoni, the man credited for popularising the helicopter shot, was doing all the watching as the wicketkeeper.
Bravo conceded 10 runs off the penultimate over of the match, dismissing Rashid and Joseph with his last two balls. With 13 to defend in the last over, Jordan began with two dot balls. Then followed a six, six, a no-ball, a four off the free-hit and a two to win the match.
Jordan finished with 3.5-0-58-0, while Miller’s 94 not out is now the fourth-highest individual score by any batter batting at No. 5 or below. The 101 not out at Mohali in 2013 that made Miller a household name since 2013 comfortably rests at the second spot.
Brief scores:
Chennai Super Kings 169/5 in 20 overs (Ruturaj Gaikwad 73; Alzarri Joseph 2-34) beat Gujarat Titans 170/7 in 19.5 overs (David Mille 94*; Dwayne Bravo 3-23) by 3 wickets with 1 ball to spare. Player of the Match: David Miller.
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