IPL 2022: PBKS vs GT Review – Tewatia, Gill pull off a stunning win
Rahul Tewatia did what he is known to do best, smacking sixes to win his team games out of unlikely positions. Against the Punjab Kings, whom his team Gujarat Titans defeated by six wickets in a thriller to register a hat-trick of wins in IPL 2022, Tewatia smashed two in a row with 12 needed off the last two balls, to ensure Shubman Gill’s 96 did not go in vain.
Punjab, who batted first, managed to set a tall target of 190 for their opponents, on the back of Liam Livingstone’s 27-ball 64 alongside some brisk cameos from Shikhar Dhawan (35 off 30), Jitesh Sharma (23 off 11) and Rahul Chahar (22 off 14) lower down the order even as Rashid Khan delivered a brilliant spell of 3/22.
In the chase, the Titans were kept in the hunt by Gill, who paced his innings to perfection and strung a massive 101-run partnership for the second wicket alongside debutant Sai Sudharshan, who played the second fiddle with a 30-ball 35. The Titans seemed on track for the majority part of the chase but eventually found themselves needing 19 off the last over. The situation became even tenser when skipper Hardik Pandya was run out for 27, leaving the team needing 12 off the final two balls.
Tewatia made another West Indies bowler (after a hapless Sheldon Cottrell last year) his victim, as he dispatched Odean Smith for two sixes to seal the game for his side.
Top performers of the game
Liam Livingstone
After a Player of the Match performance against the Chennai Super Kings, Livingstone notched up another sensational performance with the bat, whacking seven fours and four sixes in his 27-ball blitz. His 64 paved the way for Punjab Kings to post another big total on the board.
Shubman Gill
Much like Livingstone, Gill extended his good run with the bat, following up his 84 in the previous game with a blistering 96-run knock off merely 59 deliveries, laced with 11 fours and a six.
What next for the two teams?
Gujarat Titans next play Sunrisers Hyderabad at the DY Patil Stadium on April 11, while Punjab Kings will face Mumbai Indians at MCA Pune on April 13.
