IPL 2022: RR vs GT Review – Hardik’s all-round show sinks Rajasthan
The Match 24 of IPL 2022 saw the Gujarat Titans getting the better of Rajasthan Royals convincingly by 37 runs at the DY Patil Stadium on April 14. This was a much-needed win for the Titans after having suffered an eight-wicket defeat at the hands of Sunrisers Hyderabad in their previous encounter.
RR skipper Sanju Samson won the toss and decided to bowl first. The decision seemed to be spot on at one point in time as GT were reduced to 53/3 in the seventh over before skipper Hardik Pandya and Abhinav Manohar’s 86-run stand for the fourth wicket turned things around for the Gujarat Titans as it powered them to 192/4.
Chasing 193, Rajasthan lost opener Devdutt Padikkal for a golden duck before Jos Buttler and Ravichandran Ashwin, who was promoted above as a pinch-hitter, tried to carry out the rescue act. It was Buttler who single-handedly took care of the chase despite losing partners at the other end and looked to make a statement.
Unfortunately for the Royals, once he was dismissed for a blistering 24-ball 54 by Lockie Ferguson, the chase was completely derailed as none of the batters could offer much, including captain Sanju Samson and Shimron Hetmyer who managed 11 and 29 respectively. The Royals were eventually restricted to 155/9.
Top performers of the game
Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya was arguably the major cause behind Gujarat’s big win. He scored a second successive half-century, but this one demanded some calmness after GT had lost their top-order for hardly anything on the board. He had a lion’s share in helping the Titans post a big total courtesy of his unbeaten 52-ball 87.
Lockie Ferguson
Lockie Ferguson broke RR’s backbone with his express fast deliveries as he got the key wicket of Jos Buttler, who was threatening to take the game away from Gujarat, off a beautiful delivery that left him bamboozled. The New Zealand speedster finished his spell with figures of 3/23 at an economy rate of 5.8.
What’s next for the two sides?
Gujarat Titans will face Chennai Super Kings at the Maharashtra Cricket Stadium in Pune on April 17 whereas the Rajasthan Royals will meet the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on April 18.
