TATA IPL 2024: Titans Triumph, Stellar Bowling and Tewatia's Cameo Seal Victory

Rahul Tewatia showcased an exceptional performance, crafting an unbeaten 36 off 18 deliveries in a thrilling match where Gujarat Titans triumphed over Pujan Kings in Match 37 of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL). The Titans faced some tense moments but managed to secure a comfortable victory, largely thanks to their spinners, with left-armer Sai Kishore claiming four crucial wickets. Tewatia's innings was pivotal, as he joined the crease with the Titans at 97/4 while chasing a modest target of 143. His array of shots, including flicks and reverse sweeps, propelled the team to victory, complementing the steady contributions of Shubman Gill (35) and Sai Sudharsan (31). This win marked the Titans' fourth victory of the season.

The triumph propelled GT to eight points, elevating them to sixth place on the points table. They trail behind Lucknow Super Giants and Chennai Super Kings, both on eight points but with a better net run rate. PBKS, with four points from eight matches, remained in the ninth position. The decisive victory for Gujarat Titans was orchestrated by their spinners, who collectively claimed six wickets. Despite winning the toss and opting to bat first, PBKS could only muster a meager 142 runs, getting bowled out on the final delivery of the innings under the leadership of skipper Sam Curran.

The 27-year-old Tamil Nadu spinner Sai Kishore bowled an outstanding spell, cutting down on the pace and adjusting his length to use the low turn offered by the pitch to claim 4-33 in his four overs as the Gujarat bowlers strangled the PBKS batting unit in the middle overs. Chasing a modest target, the Titans got off to a poor start as Wriddhiman Saha fell for 13 (11 balls) with the team score reading 25 within the Power-play. Saha pulled Arshdeep Singh straight to Ashutosh Sharma as he was out after hitting a boundary during his brief stay.

Titans skipper Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan cautiously negotiated the Power-play and raised 41 runs for the second wicket partnership. Gill (35) swatted and flicked off his pads Kagiso Rabada for successive fours in the third over and also hammered a boundary each off Harshal Patel and Sam Curran during his vital knock.

The Gujarat skipper also crunched England spinner Liam Livingstone for a four in the eighth over before he was for 35 off 29 balls, jumping out to loft a delivery that was slower than expected and handed a comfortable catch to Rabada. A couple of overs later, Livingstone struck another blow, castling David Miller with a tossed-up delivery that skidded past the big swing by Miller and crashed into the stumps. Gujarat Titans slumped from 66/1 to 77/3.

Sai Sudharsan's innings of 31 runs off 34 deliveries started with a boundary through backward point off the first ball he faced from Arshdeep. He steadily accumulated runs mainly through singles, punctuating his innings with a paddle-swept four off Harpreet Brar and a flick past fine leg off Sam Curran's bowling. However, Curran managed to dismiss Sudharsan by inducing him to chop onto his stumps when Gujarat was at 97/4. Azmatullah Omarzai's brief innings of 13 ended quickly, but Rahul Tewatia's unbeaten 36 off 18 balls guided Gujarat Titans to victory, despite a late flourish from Harshal Patel who claimed the wickets of Shahrukh Khan (8) and Rashid Khan (3).

Tewatia, known for his knack for orchestrating late comebacks, hammered seven fours in his blistering 18-ball innings. In the crucial 18th over, he struck three boundaries, including two consecutive ones off Rabada, causing PBKS to concede 20 runs in that over alone. Prior to that onslaught, he executed a reverse sweep and a powerful hoick to the boundary off Harpreet Brar in the preceding over. These aggressive strokes played a pivotal role in Gujarat's recovery from a challenging position, guiding them to a convincing victory.