IPL 2022, GT vs KKR: Rashid, Shami subdue Russell as Gujarat Titans defend 156 against Kolkata Knight Riders | Cricket News – Times of India

Russell’s all-round show not enough as Hardik leads Gujarat to 8-run win
In the ongoing IPL, Gujarat Titans are consistently finding a way to win. If David Miller and Rashid Khan pulled them out of a hole against Chennai Super Kings in their last match, it was some disciplined bowling that saw them defend a below-par score of 156/9 and beat Kolkata Knight Riders by eight runs at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday.
AS IT HAPPENED | SCORECARD | POINTS TABLE
While the win kept GT firmly on course of securing a playoff spot, KKR were left looking for answers in order to get their campaign back on track.
Head coach Brendon McCullum made a number of changes – both in the KKR playing XI and also in the batting order – but some inept batting display cost them a match that they should have won after their bowlers provided them a reasonable chance.

The KKR innings never got going as they lost wickets at regular intervals to finally end up with 144/8. India pacer Mohammed Shami provided Titans the perfect start by picking up openers Sam Billings, coming in place of Aaron Finch, and Sunil Narine in his first two overs.
After Lockie Ferguson dismissed Nitish Rana in his first over after a review, Yash Dayal picked up key man Shreyas Iyer, with the KKR skipper edging the left-arm pacer’s away going delivery to wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha.
Dayal came back to break the 45-run fifth-wicket stand between Rinku Singh and Venkatesh Iyer by having the former caught by Saha in the 13th over. Things would have been over for KKR had Dayal not overstepped the delivery in which he had Andrew Russell caught in the same over.

However, it could have been the West Indian’s match had he managed to take the side home after becoming the first bowler in the IPL to pick four wickets in a spell of one over. Of course he owed much of his success to Rinku whom he promised a dinner as the latter took three catches in the last over of the innings by Russell. Coming in place of Sheldon Jackson, Rinku ended up taking four catches.
Russell kept KKR in the match till the last over when they needed 18 runs for victory. Russell got a six on the first ball off Alzarri Joseph, but fell in the next delivery going for an encore as Ferguson took a well-judged catch.
On a pitch where the ball was gripping a bit, the GT batters struggled to get the big shots after they became the first team this season to opt to bat first on winning the toss.

It was their skipper Hardik Pandya who once again led from the front. Coming further up the order at No. 3 for the first time this season, he led the foundation after Miller and Rashid Khan failed to get going.
Pandya, still struggling with injury, got his third fifty in a row before falling for a 49-ball 67. GT, who got 78 runs in the first 10 overs, caved in getting the same number of runs but losing eight wickets in their last 10 overs.
But in the end they managed to have the last laugh.