IPL 2022, GT vs RR Highlights: David Miller guides Gujarat to IPL final, beat Rajasthan by 7 wickets

Last over and Gujarat need 16 runs from 6 balls. That's a six!!! What a start!! This will go down the wire. Another six!!!! Oh my word!!! They need 4 from 4 now. Another six to end the match. Gujarat Titans qualify for the IPL final

McCoy in to bowl the 19th and GT need 23 from 12 balls. Nice start from the bowler. Just one run to put Hardik on strike. That's a four by Miller now. They can smell victory here. That's half century for Miller. Brilliant end to the over. GT 173/3 after 19 overs

Chahal in to bowl the last over of his spell. Gujarat need the big hits now. It'll go down the wire surely. 2 singles of the first 2 balls. Lovely from Chahal. Miller takes another single, unable to get his bat to ball. Oh my word!! That's a six by Miller. That'll alleviate some pressure. GT 166/3 after 18 overs.

McCoy in to bowl the 17th now. Can he pick up a wicket here? Starts with a full toss and Miller hits a four!!! 150 up for Gujarat. That's hit and falls just short of Jaiswal. Miller survives. GT 155/3 after 17 overs.

Trent Boult will bowl the last over of his spell and the first of the slog overs. Miller starts with a single. Great ball that beats Miller in the 3rd ball. Great save from Parag to save a certain boundary. That's another four saved by Hetmyer next. Great fielding all around. GT 146/3 as we go for a timeout

Chahal in to bowl the 15th over. He has to take some wickets to keep Rajasthan in it. 2 runs from the first 2 balls. Look at that!!!! That's a six by Miller. Taken on the best RR bowler and absolutely smashed him. GT 139/3 after 15 overs.

Ashwin in to bowl the 14th and is hit for a four by Hardik Pandya off the fourth ball. 8 runs already from this over. That is followed with a wide. the last ball is straight down the ground for a four by Miller. GT 129/3 after 14 overs.

McCoy back to bowl the 13th and he'll hope this is not as lengthy as his last over. Four runs from the first 4 balls. Good over thus far. GT 115/3 after 13 overs.

Prasidh Krishna in to bowl the 11th and beats Miller. Thinks he has an edge but nothing doing. 1 run from the first 3 balls. That's an edge from Pandya and it goes for a four. 100 up for Gujarat. GT 104/3 after 11 overs

Ravi Ashwin is a self-confessed Shubman Gill admirer. He once revealed how he became a Gill fan. “In the Melbourne Test, Cameron Green was caught at square leg off a pull and Shubman came running to me and said, “Ash bhai, Jaldi khatam kar do yaar! 40-50 runs hoga toh mein paanch over mein khatam karoonga! (Please wrap up quickly. If it’s 40-50 runs to chase, I will do it in five overs!),” Ashwin recalled in a conversation with India batting coach Vikram Rathour on his Youtube channel. “I was like, ‘wow, this is unreal man’. We have a debutant who is walking up to say ‘khatam karo, finish it’ and I will finish in five overs and that too in a Test match,” Ashwin said. But at the Eden Gardens, the admiration might have turned into agony, as Gill carved into Ashwin, shellacking him for 15 runs in six balls. First came a gorgeous six. Gill stepped out, then paused, dragged his back-foot over to go inside-out and just breezed the masterful spinner’s carrom ball over extra cover. The stroke dishevelled the usually unflappable Ashwin, whose next ball was fast, short and wide, which Gill duly cut. The next ball slipped out of his and turned out into a leg-side half-volley that Gill whipped through square-leg. Ashwin was so flustered that he pulled out off his run-up twice before the next ball.

Sandip G

David Miller in the middle and gets a free hit to play straightaway. Just a one from that. Did not really get hold of the shot. Another wide!! Poor from McCoy. Pandya hits a four next!!! On the hip and is punished. That's another wide. This over is going long. A four to end the over. GT 97/3 after 10 overs

Obed McCoy in to bowl the 10th and starts with a wide ball. Shot from Pandya for a four now!! Great timing. That's gone!!! Mathhew Wade tries to hit a big one and Buttler takes the catch in the deep. GT 85/3 after 9.3 overs.

Chahal in to bowl the 9th now as Hardik Pandya takes charge. Starts with a single while Wade plays a dot. 2 more runs to follow. Lovely bowling from Chahal. A reverse sweep from Wade to end the over with a boundary. GT 79/2 after 9 overs.

Ashwin back to bowl the 8th over and Gill starts with a single. Brilliant fielding by Jaiswal to save a sureshot four!!! Next ball is a wide. Trouble trouble trouble and Gill is gone!!! Run out!!! Should never have gone for a 2!!! GT 72/2 after 7.4 overs

The leading wicket taker of the tournament is brought into the attack now by Rajasthan. can Chahal wield his magic tonight? 2 runs from the first 3 balls. GT 68/1 after 7 overs.

Ashwin in to bowl the last over of the powerplay and Gill punishes him with a six!!! Follows it up with 4 more. He is really lighting up his former home ground. Would you know it!!! That's another four!!! 3 deliveries, three boundaries. GT 64/1 after 6 overs.

Penultimate over inside the powerplay will be bowled by Boult and Wade punishes him straightaway with a pull shot for a four!!! Misfield by Prasidh and they sneak in another run. A big outside edge and any other day, it would rattle the stumps but this time it gets a boundary. Gill finds the gap again for another four!!! GT 47/1 after 5 overs

Prasidh back to bowl the 4th over and starts with 2 dots. Gill hit a good shot, had a nice ring but yields zero. Make that 3 dots. Another dot as he is hitting the sots but finding the fielder. Gill will need to be patient. Finally a single. Brilliant fielding by Buttler. GT 31/1 after 4 overs

Boult in to bowl the 3rd over. Can he pile more misery on Gujarat? 3 runs from the first four balls. Oh that's a four!! There were fielders stationed near the slip and gully and the ball has gone in between them. Another four to end the over. GT 29/1 after 3 overs

Prasidh in to bowl the second and Gill hits him for a four. Little tap, lovely stuff. Leading edge and that could have been out. Falls just safe of Jaiswal. Wade tries to pull one and gets hit on the body. That will have hurt. That is going to sting the elbow. 5 wides now. A boundary to end. GT 18/1 after 2 overs

Wriddhiman Saha has had an interesting few months. Strong tweets that led to an enquiry, strong statements that has had him openly take on a few voices in his home association of Cricket Association of Bengal, and a day before the playoff, he had said another eyebrow-raising remark. “Here, I'm representing Gujarat so my home ground is Motera Stadium, I believe in that. Since I'm no longer with KKR, the Eden is not my home,” he had said. Not sure how it was taken by the Eden faithful but he didn’t last long as batsman to find out. Trent Boult took him out second ball with an angler that Saha thought would come back in, and tried to force it to the on side. But it kept slanting away to take the outside edge.  

Sriram Veera

Wade in the middle now and slashes Boult for a four in the 4th ball. That will give him loads of confidence. If Gujarat want a win, they will need Wade to fire. GT 4/1 after 1 over.

Saha and Shubman Gill are at the crease. Saha is on strike. Boult will open the attack. And that's out!!! Gets a nick and Samson takes the catch. Early strike for Rajasthan. GT 0/1 after 0.2 over.

The Eden Gardens bubble had a close shave. As Shimron Hetmyer perished to Mohammed Shami and admonished himself, a fan jumped the fence from D Block and was about to enter the field of play, when he was intercepted by the police. Kolkata responded to an IPL game at Eden after two years with fervour. Around 8pm, attendence was 47,000. About an hour later, it crossed 60,000. Authorities had allowed a 100 per cent turnout for the IPL playoffs and it made the atmosphere super-charged. An idiot crossed the line, giving complete disregard to the bio-secure environment. Thankfully, the minions of the law were alert and the offender was ejected. 

Shamik Chakrabarty

Buttler ends Shami's over with a four and a six!!!! Now on to the last over of the innings. Dayal in to bowl the last and Parag takes two runs. Another single and Buttler is back on strike for the last four balls. That's a six by Buttler. This is the Jos Buttler we know!!! What a time to get back his form. Next ball is a dot. That's a run out for Buttler. They are checking for a no ball and it's free hit time. Buttler has to depart anyway. That's a wide!!! Parag tries to run and is run out. When will this innings end? Ashwin looks flabbergasted. Rajasthan finally end at 188/6 after 20 overs.

Shami in to bowl the 19th over. That's hit high by Buttler and Rashid Khan has dropped him now. Luck is changing for him. Hetmyer is gone next ball!! Tewatia catches it. RR 161/4 after 18.3 overs

18th over and Alzarri Joseph is hit for a boundary by Buttler. That's straight down the ground. Oh that slip might prove costly. Two back to back fours by Buttler next. RR 159/3 after 18 overs

The 17th over now and we are at the business end of the innings. 200 looked likely for the Royals till Sanju was there but Gujarat have pegged them back admirably. That's a four by Buttler to start. Oh!!! Hardik slips. Would have been an easy catch otherwise. But Buttler gets another lucky four. Another four now!!!! That brings up his 50. Finds the gap again for another four!!!! Is it all coming together again for Buttler? RR 145/3 after 17 overs.

Inside the slog overs now and Rashid will bowl the first of them. 2 runs from the first 3 balls. Third time this season Buttler has failed to reach 50 at the end of 15th over. RR 127/3 after 16 overs

That's finally a boundary for Buttler. A long long time coming this one and it might help him get back to his best. Great timing for that shot. Great fielding in the deep to dsave another boundary as Buttler takes 2 runs. RR 124/3 after 15 overs

GONE!!!! Padikkal drags it on and is bowled. Just as he was trying to get going, Hardik takes his crucial wicket. Great ball from the GT captain. RR 116/3 after 14.1 overs.

Sai Kishore in to bowl the last over of his spell. Starts with a single and a wide. Rajasthan are really struggling for big hits at the moment. And that's a six by Padikkal. That's what Rajasthan needed. Next ball is a beautiful one but gets a thick outside edge for a four. Another four to follow. This one was well timed and executed. RR 116/2 after 14 overs.

Jos Buttler stood stupefied. He, like the world, has gotten used to playing Rashid Khan. Yet, no one could claim that he has really mastered him. Rashid continues to evoke shock and awe. Like the leg-break that left Buttler clueless. The ball fizzed out from his pliant palm, whistled into Buttler a trifle and began its downward plunge. Buttler judged it was the wrong’un, Rashid’s T20 staple. Buttler hung back so that he could work the ball through the leg-side. But the ball, after landing, spun away deviously. He was so stunned that he had no time to change his stroke, as the ball spun across him and past the outside edge. The deception lies in Rashid’s disguise. There is hardly any change in the run-up, action, the release point or the wrist position. He bowls both deliveries with the back of the hand open upwards, towards the sky—for most leg-breakers, the back of  the hand faces the bowler himself when flipping the googlies. Combined with his arm-rotation speed and how rapidly he brings his wrists down, it’s difficult to conclusively decode him. 

After a while, batsmen did begin to pick a clue or two by watching his grip. Split-finger grip for leg-breaks and a fingers-together grip for the googly. However, Rashid, crafty as he is, began to change his grip just before the load-up. So he might begin with a split-finger grip and then suddenly, with the dexterity of a tabla maestro, flips his fingers and changes the grip. The unsuspecting batsman, deluded by the early giveaway, waits for a leg-break, only to be left ashen-faced by the ball spitting away. And the other way around as well. He bowls the leg-breaks sparingly, but when he does, it leaves batsmen stupefied. 

Sandip G

Hardik Pandya in to bowl the 13th over. Starts with a dot and a wide. Buttler hits te ball straight up but it's safe as it hits an advancing Shami on the shins. Buttler is really struggling out there. Nothing is hitting the sweet spot for him at the moment. RR 98/2 after 13 overs.

It was a most sublime six. The context elevated it even more. Sanju Samson would have seen the young left-handed swinger Yash Dayal bend the ball both ways in his first over to continually harass and dismiss Yash Jaiswal. Samson would face his first ball, in the next over from Dayal. It was a very good delivery too, swinging away from Samson but starting from around leg stump line. The choice of ball, if intentional, was good. Samson does have a tendency to back himself and go for the risky swipe occasionally. But this time, Samson treated it so softly that it’s worth catching the replays just to watch his hands. It was just a waft on the up, covering for the movement, and aimed over mid-on. The white ball kept flying beyond long-on. Even the (cutely) parochial Gujarati commentators on Hotstar were moved to rave: “Ramani shot”! It certainly was gorgeous, allright. 

No wonder the likes of Brian Lara have been a big fans of Samson over the past couple of years. Of the right-handed batsmen out there, Samson must rate pretty much at the top for his silken touches. Usually we have seen such batsmen thread the gaps for fours but Samson, like Lara himself to an extent, can let his hands go through the line of the ball to fetch maximums. 

He unfurled more lovely shots before he fell, going across the line to the left-arm spinner Sai Kishore, who has been impressively aggressive in his bowling in the couple of games he has played, and holing out to long-on.      

Sriram Veera

Padikkal welcomes Sai Kishore with a six!! Oh what a hit!! That will calm the nerves for DDP. Comeback by the bowler with 2 back to back dots. RR 92/2 after 12 overs

Rashid Khan in to bowl the 11th over and Gujarat Titans will actually fancy themselves now. If they can take Buttler, they'll be well and truly in control. RR 83/2 after 11 overs

Sai Kishore in to bowl the 10th over and Sanju rotates the strike off the first ball. Buttler gives it back to him with another single. And that's it. Sanju's show ends. Tries to hit a big one, drags it and Alzarri Joseph takes a simple catch at long on. RR 79/2 after 9.5 overs.

Rashid in to bowl the 9th. Can he provide the much-needed breakthrough? Just 1 run from the first four balls. Great bowling by the Afghanistan player. RR 75/1 after 9 overs

Time for the 8th over and Kishore has replaced Joseph. Rajasthan batters are on song tonight, especially Sanju Samson. That's a four by Sanju off the 3rd ball of the over. Another glorious four to end this over. RR 73/1 after 8 overs.

SIX! Samson has hit it for another biggie. This is the talent of this man, when he gets going it is very hard to stop him. 50 up for Rajasthan as well! Joseph bangs it short and delivers it around leg. Samson stays back and pulls it over deep backward square leg for a maximum. The PowerPlay comes to an end! RR: 55/1 in 6 overs 

Sanju Samson is looking in supreme touch today! Stand and deliver stuff! A length ball, on off. Samson just stays in his crease and tonks it over long on for a biggie. RR: 49/1 in 5.2 overs

Samson is in the mood here. Fuller and around off, Samson heaves it over mid-wicket and collects his third boundary. Has hit one biggie also. The previous one was also a boundary and that means 14 from the over, the ploy to give Shami an extra over has not worked for Hardik. RR: 42/1 in 5 overs

Just a reminder, "Sanju Samson's first IPL Team was ------ KKR! He was named by Kolkata Knight Riders in its player pool ahead of 2009 IPL. He was signed by KKR in 2012 but did not get to play and was released ahead of the 2013 season. 

Jos Buttler left the first ball he faced alone. The Mohammed Shami ball was a tempter, good length, pitched outside the off-stump and shaping away a bit. Often in the past, he has lunged at the ball, hands away and stabbing than coming through with the shot. But Buttler, these days, is more watchful. Moreover, runs have dried up in the last few games (63 runs in five games). Shami pitched the next ball further up, to tempt him to that loose drive even more. This time, he fell for the lure, only that he caressed rather than crashed it through the cover, a stroke that had none of Buttler’s trademark power and panache. Unlike how the purists essay the stroke, the front-elbow is rather low, he is less in control when the elbow gets higher. Shami didn’t flinch, he smiled dryly and then served him another full ball. Buttler again shouldered arms. Shami galloped back and speared in another full ball. Buttler just extended his front foot and cajoled the ball past mid-off. Shami returned for another over, and the cat and mouse game continued. Buttler defended the first ball, and maneuvered him for a brace the next ball, before Shami produced a jaffa that beat him outside edge. Buttler put that behind with a crunching cover drive next ball. Shami pulled his length back, beat him next ball and induced a thin edge the last ball. But the first bout, riveting stuff as it was, belonged to the calculated Buttler rather than the probing Shami. 

Sandip G

FOUR! Another one from the flashing blade of Sanju Samson. Back of a length, around off and angling away, Samson packs a punch from the back foot. Doesn't bother to keep it on the ground and sends it blazing through extra cover. RR: 28/1 in 4 overs

SIX! Sanju Samson has effortlessly dismissed this one. Yash Dayal serves a length ball, around leg, Sanju Samson picks it off his pads and lofts it over long on.  Looks like the ball has lost its shape! Umpire Bruce Oxenford is not happy and they have decided to change the ball.  RR: 24/1 in 3.1 overs

Yashasvi Jaiswal walks. Brilliant from the young man. Yash Dayal had Yashasvi Jaiswal in his pocket in this over. He outfoxed him on many occasions with the movement and the change in length and this time, Dayal forced an outside edge. RR: 11/1 in 2 overs

FOUR! Off the mark in style! Shami delivers it full and outside off, Buttler leans into the drive and caresses it through the gap between mid off and extra cover. It races away on this lightning-quick outfield. The over ends with another hit to the fence. Great timing again from the bat of Buttler and he seems to have regained his lost touch. RR: 9/0 in 1 over

We are all set to begin! The two umpires make their way out to the middle. The Gujarat players make their way out to the middle as well and they are greeted with a big roar from this jam-packed Eden Garden crowd. Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal are the openers for Rajasthan. Mohammad Shami has the new cherry in his hand. Let's Play!

There is a slight chance of rain playing a spoilsport in the city of joy, and already two hours have been added over the originally stipulated 200 minutes of match time. In case a minimum five-over game cannot be completed, the result will be determined by a Super Over. However, the standings of the league stage will be considered in determining the winner if the playing conditions do not allow even the Super Over to take place. The rain threat is not that alarming, and in all possibilities, we shall have a full game.

Hardik Pandya, the skipper of Gujarat, says they want to bowl first as the pitch looks like a decent one to bat on. Adds that there have been no games here in the last few months, so it will be good to know what you are chasing. Shares that they reached safely here and they have prepared well. Mentions that they want to treat this game as a simple one and not create demons in their heads. Wants his team to make sure that the intensity is high and that they are aware of what the situation demands.

Sanju Samson, the skipper of Rajasthan, says that they have done quite well batting first and tells that it looks like a decent wicket. Adds that it is important to focus on this game and it is important to keep the emotions aside and focus on cricket. Mentions that they have been playing good cricket and they just need to continue that and keep it simple. Informs that they are playing an unchanged XI.

Ravichandran Ashwin says he has "found a purpose in life", which is pushing the experimental boundaries without worrying much about the criticism that comes your way when you choose an uncharted terrain.
Ashwin is relishing one his "happiest IPL seasons" even as his 11 wickets and 183 runs won't exactly describe the kind of impact he has made on Rajasthan Royals' campaign. The day I stop experimenting, the day I stop losing the passion for that, is the day I will be done with game," Ashwin, India's second highest wicket-taker in Tests, said.

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson(w/c), Devdutt Padikkal, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, Obed McCoy

Wriddhiman Saha(w), Shubman Gill, Matthew Wade, Hardik Pandya(c), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Yash Dayal, Alzarri Joseph, Mohammed Shami

Gujarat Titans have won the toss and opted to field first.

Short square boundaries here. It's got lots of grass cover and that means the quicks will be in play and expect it carry nicely for bowlers like Boult and individuals like that. I don't think there's going to be a lot of turn. Not much of wear and tear. Expect round about 170-180 to be a par score and expect the captains to have a bowl.

The storms which were predicted for Tuesday are likely to end around 3:45 PM and there are no further forecasts for rain later in the day. So that will be good news for the fans. GAME ON!