Dugout News: Gujarat Titans VS Lucknow Super Giants
Gujarat Titans became the first qualifiers for IPL 2022. Proud GT's skipper Hardik Pandya praised the team's effort in becoming the first team to qualify for the playoffs
Hardik Pandya: Best Captain in IPL 2022?"Really, really proud of the boys. It is a great effort to qualify before the 14th game in this league. We just wanted to be ruthless today, and relax post game," Hardik said at the post-match presentation.
Sunil Gavaskar said, "Gujarat are playing with such freedom and they are fearless (in approach). There's no fear of the world in their game and that's why they are winning."
Harbhajan Singh predicted the match and said, "Gujarat Titans are going to win the match against Lucknow Super Giants and they will become the first team to qualify. The Hardik Pandya-led side is very strong. Rashid Khan is in great form and coach Ashish Nehra is giving them just the right amount of confidence. This team is difficult to beat," Harbhajan said.
Harsha Bhogle tweeted, "Wow! #GujaratTitans. Just wow. That was some performance!"
LSG brought the second-lowest total of the season in the chase against GT
Lucknow Super Giants restricted Gujarat Titans well at 144 in 20 overs. However, the batters failed terribly in getting even close to the target as they got bowled out for 82 runs. Titans' bowlers were clinical and didn't give any chance to batters to form a partnership. Rashid Khan took four wickets while conceding 24 runs in 3.5 overs, Sai Kishore and Yash Dayal scalped two wickets, each conceding 7 and 24 runs respectively in 2 overs, whereas Mohammed Shami took 1 for just five runs in the three overs.
"Bowlers winning the game with some top spells by @MdShami11 and @rashidkhan_19," praised Yuvraj Singh.
Harbhajan Singh tweeted, "Top spell by @rashidkhan_19 and a great first game for Sai Kishore. Congratulations on being the first team to qualify."
"You will always get a game like this. #LSG will be happy this happened now and not in a knockout game," tweeted Harsha Bhogle.
Avesh Khan's record-breaking sixes off Rashid Khan
Gujarat Titans may have become the first team to qualify for the playoffs beating the Lucknow Super Giants by 62 runs. However, the LSG pacer Avesh Khan stole the limelight in the game's dying moments. GT leg-spinner Rashid Khan had a field day after taking three wickets for just 12 runs until Avesh Khan came to bat at number 11 and smashed the bowler for two consecutive sixes.
Since it was a low-scoring game, few deliveries went out of the ground. In fact, before Avesh's twin strikes, they hit two sixes in the game, one by Quinton de Kock and the other by GT's David Miller. To end it ideally, pacer Avesh Khan won the most sixes of the match award after hitting two maximums of Rashid Khan. Some fans tweeted praising the bowler:
"Avesh Khan becomes the first ever No.11 batter to hit multiple sixes in an IPL innings." tweets Kausthub Gudipati.
Avesh Khan hit consecutive sixes against Rashid Khan - he should frame these moments. Tweeted Johns