Gujarat Titans continued to make last-over heists a trend - this was their fifth such run chase in the season - as they continued their exceptional run at the top of the points table with a win over Royal Challengers Bangalore. Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians finally added some points to their season with a win after eight losses in the season. Here we raise a few burning questions from the two games on Saturday.
Did Virat Kohli's first fifty of IPL 2022 lose RCB the game?
Virat Kohli notched up his first fifty of IPL 2022, but coming off 45 balls, it was the slowest fifty in the season and Kohli's second-slowest T20 knock ever. Did it cost RCB the game? The average first innings score in the middle overs this IPL when the team doesn't lose more than a wicket is 97.5 runs. RCB scored 78 runs in this phase with the loss of just one wicket.
The fact that it wasn't followed by great acceleration further dented RCB's effort in the first innings. Kohli, whose 53-ball 58 is the slowest fifty-plus score of IPL 2022, couldn't accelerate after the base he got thanks to Rajat Patidar's brilliant aggression at the other end. RCB went on to finish with a below-par total, one that Gujarat Titans still struggled a bit to chase down. If only RCB had scored a few more runs when Kohli was in the middle. It would, however, be a relief to RCB that Kohli is back amidst a bit of runs at least, but it probably came at the cost of losing a game.
How Gujarat Titans played the perfect card to counter Dinesh Karthik's death overs onslaught
Dinesh Karthik walked out to bat in the 17th over of the innings at which point Rashid Khan had still not bowled his last over. It isn't usual for a spinner, even Rashid, to bowl as late as that in the first innings of a T20 game. But Gujarat had their plans perfectly in place. Karthik had specialised in last-ditch onslaughts this IPL with his strike rate a mesmerising 240.43. That's an equivalent of a 6-ball 14 with the danger multiplying if he is on strike more.
But he'd only faced four balls of spin before last night in the last three overs. Rashid being held back was a tactical move to deny Karthik pace and also to poke at his rather underwhelming, maybe even shocking, record against leg-spinners. Since 2020, Karthik has been dismissed eight times in 42 balls from leg spinners in the IPL, averaging a mediocre 3.9.
How nerveless have Tewatia and Miller been?
Rahul Tewatia and David Miller have been at the heart of Gujarat Titans' incredible last-over wins in run chases in IPL 2022.
Five times this IPL Gujarat have scored the winning runs in the final over, four of which required them to make more than 10 runs.
Here's a list of their last over wins and the batters in the middle at the end of the innings.
11 runs vs LSG - Tewatia & Abhinav Manohar
19 runs vs PBKS - Tewatia & Miller
13 runs vs CSK - Miller & Lockie Ferguson
22 runs vs SRH - Tewatia & Rashid Khan
7 runs vs RCB - Miller & Tewatia
Tewatia and Miller have had individually brilliant seasons so far. Tewatia has made 179 runs at an average of 44.75 and a strike rate of 161.26. Miller, meanwhile, has 276 runs at an average of 69 and a strike-rate of 150.81. In successful run chases this IPL, Miller, and Tewatia have 196 partnership runs for just one dismissal, with a strike-rate of 180-plus.
Why RR erred in their usage of Daryl Mitchell with bat and ball
Rajasthan Royals had gotten off to a slow start by their standards when they lost Sanju Samson to rookie spinner Kumar Kartikeya. At this point, with Buttler still at the crease and Shimron Hetmyer and Riyan Parag to come in, RR used Daryl Mitchell, who went on to make 17 in 20 balls, batting 12 of his 20 balls against spinners. Over his T20 career, Mitchell strikes at 120 against spinners, and 143.9 against quicks. Mitchell's best value comes in the powerplay or death overs where pacers operate more. Mitchell's knock delayed the entry of Riyan Parag, who had shown his value when walking in within the first 10 overs just in the previous game.
With the ball, RR repeated the error with Mitchell coming in to bowl the first over after powerplay against Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma. The two Mumbai Indians batters are high on intent and if RR expected the duo to not attack in the first over after powerplay to avoid risks, they were wrong. The duo belted 20 runs in the over to snatch the momentum from RR.
Were Mumbai Indians lucky to escape with their ploy of using Hrithik Shokeen to Jos Buttler?
Mumbai Indians brought on young off-spinner Hrithik Shokeen to bowl the 16th over with Jos Buttler and Shimron Hetmyer at the crease. It was a contentious call at the time because Buttler was on strike although the plan itself was likely for Hetmyer, who has an underwhelming record against off-spinners. Buttler, though, is exceptionally good against off-spinners. The only off-spinners to dismiss Buttler before last night in the IPL are Mujeeb ur Rahman (twice), Sunil Narine, and Ravichandran Ashwin. Two of those three are mystery spinners. Buttler's strike-rate against off-spinners in the IPL is a superb 160.96.
Buttler went on to smash four successive sixes in the first four balls before holing out off the final ball. It arguably saved Mumbai Indians a few runs in the death overs with Buttler scoring at a rate of 211.5 in the final four overs this IPL. But given the risk the move had, Mumbai were lucky to escape with Buttler's wicket. It could very well have ended in a 24-plus-run over with Buttler still at the crease for the death overs.
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