IPL 2022 Highlights, GT vs PBKS: Punjab end Gujarat's winning streak with 8-wicket win in Navi Mumbai

“Wanted to bowl first. Have lost 8 tosses out of 10. We are playing good, aggressive cricket. Just that we haven't seized key moments. Pretty there's enough talent to go a long way if we seize those key moments.”

The former India cricketer, in conversation with Star Sports, revealed that pacers should bowl around the 4-5th stump line, keep a slip in place and get the ball to move away from him and hit the 8-metre mark.  This will be the plan for the pacers, who can also use the yorker length but should be targeted at stumps. For spinners, Irfan feels that they should target the stumps as well. For the deliveries on middle, he has a strike rate of  96.7 and ones angled down to the leg side he has a strike rate of just 56. 

“Going to bat first, don't think dew will play a big role. Have to always stay on top of our games, can't be complacent. A lot of things have gone our way, but it could've gone the other way as well. I'm quite close to bowling now, but given our standing in the table, don't want to rush myself. Have the luxury of taking a couple of games off” - Hardik after the toss

Punjab Kings (Playing XI): Mayank Agarwal(c), Shikhar Dhawan, Jonny Bairstow, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma(w), Rishi Dhawan, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Sandeep Sharma

Gujarat Titans (Playing XI): Wriddhiman Saha(w), Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Hardik Pandya(c), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Alzarri Joseph, Pradeep Sangwan, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Shami

Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya wins toss, opts to bat against Punjab Kings in Navi Mumbai.

"Much better surface, more even grass covering. Expect the ball to come on better, strokeplay to be better. Expect captains to win the toss, stick to the formula and bowl first."

“I have been doing well with the bat and happy that I have been putting consistent performances, but at the same time I want to improve myself and keep growing, it feels much better if you're on the winning side, but we still are in with a chance (to reach playoffs) and will take it match by match. I feel we haven't been consistent as a batting unit, we're losing too many wickets quickly, we'll have to rectify it. Arshdeep (Singh) has been amazing, the way he has got control and he's making the ball talk at his will, it's amazing to watch.”

24-May-22: Qualifier 1

25-May-22: Eliminator

27-May-22: Qualifier 2

29-May-22: Final

The first two games will be played in Kolkata and the last two in Ahmedabad. 

Fingerspinners: 27 wickets at 31/74 with 7.02 ER

Wristspinners: 23 wickets at 26.08 with 7.92 ER

Pacers: 117 wickets at 26.66 with 8.68 ER

Spinners: 50 wickets at 29.14 with 7.56 ER

Teams batting first have won six of the 14 games played at the DY Patil Sports Academy this season with an average first innings total of 170

Gujarat might deploy Rashid in the powerplay itself given his impressive number against the two openers. He has dismissed Dhawan four times in 44 balls for 41 runs and once against Mayank in 23 balls for as many runs. Moreover, spin will be the key for Gujarat in this match as PBKS have a strike rate of just 107.58 against the variety - the worst for any team this season. May be GT could bring in R Sai Kishore after seeing PBKS struggle against Kuldeep and Krunal.

“People coming in and showing what they can do in clutch situations is becoming quite a habit, something I don't mind happening. We always back them to do it, but they're defying odds time and again. Credit to their confidence level (on Miller, Tewatia and Rashid), the self-belief that they're having, making sure they can finish games.”

Liam Livingstone's 27-ball 64 helped PBKS finish with 189 for nine in 20 overs. Gill kicked off the chase on an impressive note scoring 96 off 59, but two tight overs from Arshdeep Singh in the death left the game in balance. GT required 19 runs in the final over and lost Hardik in the first ball. However, Tewatia being Tewatia scored two sixes in the final ball against Odean Smith to help GT win by 6 wickets

In four innings so far, he has scored 133 runs at a strike rate of 129.13 and average of 33.25. He has also been involved in fifty-plus stands twice this season - 69(46) vs SRH, Wankhede- Saha scored 42 off 22 balls SR 190.90 and 51(45) vs RCB, Brabourne- Saha scored 29 0ff 22 balls SR 131.81. Moreover, with Gill struggling, he has managed to provide GT with the early impetus, scoring at 142.19 strike rate in the powerplay. Saha loves the pace on the ball, but has struggled against spinners this season, scoring at 114.28 strike rate against the variety for two dismissals.

In eight innings this season, Tewatia has scored 179 runs in 111 balls at 161.3 strike rate at an average of 44.8 and with a boundary every 4 balls. In only one of his innings has be scored at a strike rate of less than 140 and has been dismissed only 4 times in IPL 2022. PBKS will be relying on Rabada again to take care of Tewatia. In 14 balls, he has dismissed him twice for 18 runs.

Kagiso Rabada will play a key role here. Her has dismissed GT opener Shubman Gill twice in 32 balls for just 20 runs. He has also kept David Miller in check, having dismissed him once in 30 balls for 32 runs. 

Gujarat Titans have had seven different Player of the Match winners in IPL 2022 where they played nine games, losing once - Mohammed Shami, Lockie Ferguson, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, David Miller, Rashid Khan, and Rahul Tewatia. According to CricViz, barring RR and GT, no other teams have had more Big Individual Performances (+20 on Impact). But while Rajasthan's 12 such performances have come from 5 players, Gujarat's 12 best have come from 10 different players. 

"As a person, I always make sure that I don't like to grow just as an individual. I like to grow with my teammates or people around me. That's the reason of our success as well. Obviously, I might be the captain, but there is no hierarchy. Everyone is on the same path -- one for all and all for one. That's the approach which we're carrying and that is the reason I think the boys feel they are as important as the captain. So yeah, obviously enjoying the new opportunity, fantastic bunch of people around. With results going our way, I can't ask for a better start."

Hardik has not bowled in the last two games - against SRH and RCB. When asked about the same at the end of the match against SRH on April 27, the Gujarat skipper said, “It's just a conscious decision to manage my bowling, plan is to bowl whenever the team needs me. It's a long tournament and I don't want to get too excited early.”

With Mayank struggling this season and Dhawan looking to play the anchor role, PBKS might want that firepower at the top of the order and hence Bairstow can be given the role. In 25 innings as an opener in IPL since 2018, Bairstow has score at a strike rate of 143 as an opener and at an almost exact strike rate in the powerplay as well. Mayank, who has managed 161 runs in eight innings so far at a strike rate of 129, can take the No.3 spot.

Punjab will likely make no changes to their XI although they might want to rejig their line-up with Jonny Bairstow likely to open alongside Shikhar Dhawan

“We are bowling exceedingly well and doing a lot of right things as a bowling unit. Arshdeep has stepped up, Rahul got wickets and KG being the big guy is always stepping up and getting us important wickets.”

Batting first: Won 3 and lost 4, average run rate - 8.36

Batting second: Won 1 and lost 1, average run rate - 8.74

Batting first: Won 3 and lost 1, average run rate - 8.50

Batting second: Won all their 5 games, average run rate - 9.03