IPL 2022, GT vs LSG, Top Performances: Shubman's well-measured 63* takes GT into playoffs

IPL 2022, GT vs LSG, Top Performances: Shubman Gill's 63*, Rashid Khan's 4-24 and Mohammed Shami-Yash Dayal's opening spell are the top three performances.

Shubman Gill gets player of the match for match-winning 63-run knock (Images ©BCCI/IPL)

Brief Scores: GT 144-4 (Gill 63*, Tewatia 22*, Avesh 2-26) beat LSG 82 (Hooda 27, Rashid 4-24, Sai Kishore 2-7) by 62 runs

Player of the match: Shubman Gill (63* off 49 deliveries)

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Gujarat Titans (GT) locked horns against each other at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium in Pune, to decide who will be the first team to reach 18 points and qualify for the 15TH edition of Indian Premier League (IPL).

Gujarat Titan’s captain Hardik Pandya won the toss and elected to bat first on what looked like a balanced wicket with pace and bounce on offer for the seamers. Lucknow went into this match with one change, Karan Sharma made his debut for LSG, replacing Ravi Bishnoi.

Coming into this match from back-to-back defeats, Gujarat made three changes to their playing 11. Lockie Ferguson was replaced by Matthew Wade, Yash Dayal replaced Pradeep Sangwan and a debut cap was handed over to Sai Kishore who replaced Sai Sudharshan.

Gujarat Titans smother Lucknow by 62 runs; reach playoffs

Mohsin Khan, Dushmantha Chameera and Avesh Khan exploited the hard and bouncy wicket of Pune exponentially. GT who have had three 50+ partnership (69, 51, 17 and 106) in the last four innings were struggling at 35-2, after the first six overs courtesy some classic display of fast bowling by the seam bowling trio of LSG.

Hardik Pandya and Shubman Gill tried to steady the sinking ship of the Titans but their captain was dismissed the very next over after the strategic time out. This was also the third time GT had lost a wicket immediately after the strategic time out.

GT were stranded at 59-3 after 10 over mark, scoring less than a run a ball. The need of the hour for Gujarat was someone to take ownership and bat deep. Shubman ticked all boxes with a sensible knock with minimal risks, as he stitched a crucial 52-run partnership with David Miller which took the team’s total above the 100-run mark. When Miller got dismissed, Gujarat were still in trouble with just 103 runs on the board at the end of the 16th over. Shubman then glued a quickfire 41-run partnership of just 24 balls with newly established finisher Rahul Tewatia, which ensured Gujarat posted a decent total of 144 runs on the board for LSG to chase.

Gujarat started their defence with the man who has the best seam presentation in the world, Mohammed Shami. Shami spelt havoc on this belter of a pitch, targeting KL Rahul with Test match line and length. He was ably supported by Yash Dayal, who draw first blood by dismissing Quinton de Kock. QdK’s wicket was followed by Rahul’s dismissal off a brilliantly planned short ball by Shami.

LSG looked like they had no answers to this superb spell of seam bowling by the Gujarat pacers as they kept on losing wickets almost every alternate over. Lucknow have had the worst powerplay performance against GT in the two matches against them, with scores of 32-4 and 37-3. After the 11th over, LSG were looking down and out with half of their batters back to the pavilion with just 62 runs on the board. The spin twin of Rashid Khan and Sai Kishore wrapped the lower-order of LSG, picking six wickets between them in the next 17 deliveries and sealing what at the end looked like a one-sided match with more than six overs to spare. This win ensured Gujarat a ticket to the playoffs in their maiden appearance in IPL, besides making them the first team to do so in this edition.

Let’s take a look at the top performances in the game between GT and LSG, IPL 2022:

Gill raises his bat after scoring half century against LSG (Images ©BCCI/IPL)

Shubman Gill anchors Gujarat’s ship

Just like how the citizens of Gotham city show a torch when in danger and Batman comes to their rescue, fans of Gujarat Titans hoped that Batman would save their side in this match and Shubman Gill arrived with his ‘Batmobile’ to help them secure a place in the playoffs.

After being stranded at 59-3 at the half-way stage, Gujarat needed at least one of Shubman or Miller to bat till the 20th over. Shubman took the responsibility upon himself to take GT towards a respectable total. Gill used his height well and dismissed the short deliveries with his hallmark tennis like bottom-hand pull shots. The tall opener ensured that all his shots were risk-free as another wicket would have cost GT the game. Pushing the ball in the gaps and running hard between wickets, Miller and Gill tailored a stable 52-run partnership.

At one stage, between the 13th and the 15th over, Gujarat didn’t even hit a single boundary. Shubman wasn’t bothered by the pressure put on by some tight bowling from the LSG bowlers and ensured he didn’t throw his wicket away. Shubman milked the spinners for ones and twos with odd boundaries in between to collect his fourth fifty of the season. It was such a risk-free innings that Gill did not hit even a single six in his 49-ball 63* and was the perfect sheet anchor for Gujarat.

Read More: IPL 2022, LSG vs KKR, Top Performances: QdK 50, Hooda 41, Pacers dismantle KKR; LSG go top of table

Rashid Khan turned the game in GT's favour in no time (Images ©BCCI/IPL)

Rashid’s first IPL four-fer spins it in Gujarat’s favor

Rashid Khan was brought into the bowling attack right after the first break. LSG, with a history of losing wickets (7) immediately after the timeout break, repeated the same mistake. Bowling just the third ball of his first spell, Rashid foxed left-hander Krunal Pandya with a trademark Rashid Khan googly. Deceived in the flight, Krunal who was half-way down the track, lost his balance as the ball spun away from him and was stumped by Saha behind the wickets.

The best ball of Rashid came when he struck Jason Holder plumb in front of the wickets. For a change, this was a regular leg-break from Rashid which zipped sharply after pitching and Holder was squared up right in front of the stumps. The Afghan bowler put the final nail on the coffin when Deepak Hooda succumbed, attempting an impossible sweep shot.

Avesh Khan smoked back-to-back sixes off Rashid, only to be later dismissed playing a typical tailender-like hoick. Rashid would be crediting Saha for the wicket of Avesh, as Wriddhiman persuaded the captain to go for a Decision Review System (DRS) call after the caught behind was originally given not out. Surprisingly, for a bowler of Rashid’s class and variations, this was his first ever four-fer in IPL history.

Rashid ended with figures of 4-24. The four wickets helped Rashid overtake another leggie, Sandeep Lamichhane and became the highest wicket taker in T20s in 2022 so far, with 40 wickets in 27 matches.

Read More: IPL 2022, GT vs MI Top Performances: David's late assault, Kishan's 45 & 2 run outs bring MI 2nd win

Dayal, Shami shared three wickets in powerplay against LSG (Images ©BCCI_IPL)

Shami–Dayal dent LSG openers with the new Kookaburra

The bowler with the best seam presentation in the world at the moment didn’t let a scratch on either side of the new ball as Mohammed Shami landed all his deliveries right on the seam troubling the Lucknow openers with Test match line and length. In fact, bowling three overs on the trot, the seamer just gave five runs in the 18 balls that he bowled in this match.

Shami targeted Rahul and QdK, giving them zero room to free their arms and needless to say, the LSG openers were under pressure. Trying to cut loose, QdK tried to take on youngster Yash Dayal who was angling it away from the former. Playing a rash cut shot, Quinton was dismissed with the help of an outstanding catch from debutant Sai Kishore at cover point diving to his left.

In the very next over, Mohammed Shami dismissed the pillar of LSG’s batting, KL Rahul. Having scored just eight of 15 deliveries prior to the wicket ball which included four back-to-back dot deliveries, a big shot was on the cards and Shami knew it and bowled a well-targeted aimed at Rahul’s body. There was no room to play the pull shot but KL attempted it, only to top-edge it high in the night sky with the safe hands of Saha doing the further formalities.

Mohammed Shami was successful in dismissing KL in both the matches they squared off against each other. While Shami was putting the pressure with zero error deliveries, Dayal was experimental in taking another wicket from the other end, dismissing debutant Karan Sharma. The left-arm seamer, from around the wicket, angled in across the right-hander who attempted a cut shot as there was enough room on offer but the extra bounce from his fellow Uttar Pradesh teammate proved fatal as Sharma wasn’t able to control the shot and ended up giving catching practice to David Miller at short third man.

Shami had the lowest economy rate for a bowler with three overs with figures of 3-0-5-1 and the left-hand seamer Dayal complemented Shami very well with 2 wickets in his two-over spell giving away 24 runs.

Read More: IPL 2022, PBKS vs GT, Top Performances: Rabada's incisive 4-33, Dhawan 62* catapult PBKS to 5th spot

TATA IPL 2022 Points Table

TATA IPL 2022 Points Table: GT beat LSG and confirm Playoff berth

What’s to come

In the 58th match of Tata IPL, Rajasthan Royals will take on Delhi capitals at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai on May 11.

Here are some of the top twitter reactions from GT vs LSG game as GT beat LSG and becomes first team to confirm playoff berth.

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