Punjab Kings defeated Gujarat Titans 145/2–143/8 in Match 48 of the Indian Premier League 2022 season at Dr. DY Patil Stadium. With an 8-wicket lead, the Kings have a chance to become the first side to qualify for the playoffs this season.
With 24 balls remaining, openers Shikhar Dhawan and Liam Livingstone delivered powerful strikes. Livingstone scored 30 runs off 10 balls, while Dhawan scored 62 runs off 53 balls. Livingstone's strategy not only enhanced his confidence but also helped the Kings' net run to the positive side.
Kagiso Rabada had previously given a four-wicket haul, limiting the Titans to a score of 133/8 in 20 overs. He also claimed four wickets for a total of 33 runs. Livingstone, Arshdeep Singh, and Rishi Dhawan all claimed one wicket each. Bhanuka Rajapaksa also played a part, scoring 40 runs off 28 balls.
The Kings are now in fifth place with 10 points from ten games after their outstanding performance on Tuesday night. This also contributes to the current leader's lower Net Run Rate (NRR).
GT vs PBKS 2022 award winners
- Punch Super Striker of the match: Livingstone (PBKS) recorded 30 runs from 10 balls with 300 strike rates.
- Dream11 Game Changer of the match: Rabada (PBKS) with 120 fantasy points.
- Unacademy Let’s Crack It sixes award: Livingstone (PBKS) with 3 sixes and the longest recorded was 117m.
- Cred Power player of the match: Dhawan (PBKS) with 30 runs from 23 balls inside the powerplay.
- Upstoc most valuable asset of the match: Dhawan (PBKS) with 62 runs from 53 balls.
- Swiggy InstaMart Fastest Delivery of the match: Alzarri Joseph (GT) with 147,2 km/h.
- RuPay on the go fours of the match: Dhawan (PBKS) with 8 fours.
- Player of the match: Rabada (PBKS) 4 wickets for 33 runs.
Batt first decision that led to the defeat of the Titans
In Match 48, Hardik Pandya, the GT captain, justified his decision to hit first. The Titans' first hit only managed a score of 143 on the board, and the Kings came in second with a score of 16 over.
"We weren't even close to being up to par." We needed a score of 170 to win, but we kept missing wickets and never crossed paths. Pandya added, "I support myself with batts, hitting first is not a bad idea, we have to move out of our comfort zone chasing targets."
"We're catching up nicely in this tournament; if we need to set targets in the next event, we'll have to do so." After the game, the captain added, "What our team is doing is part of learning to get out of our own comfort zone."
Even though the Titans had won the majority of their games, Pandya stressed that the team was still working to improve the most important part, which was maintaining the total score. Even if he failed to do so against the Kings, he promised to do so in a future match.
"We constantly strive to improve, even when we win; we discussed something that didn't go our way today and will strive to improve in the future. We have another game coming up in a few days, so we'll need to recuperate. Winning and losing are both parts of the game."
