GT vs LSG, 57th Match at Pune, IPL, May 10 2022 - Match Result

10.47 pm A 62-run mauling by Gujarat Titans. Rashid Khan takes 4 for 24. Will be interesting to see if he gets Player of the Match over Shubman Gill, whose half-century was a major difference between the two sides in the final result. So Gujarat win the top of the table clash and have now become the first team to officially clinch a playoff berth in this year's IPL.

LSG captain KL Rahul: "We all knew it looked like a tricky wicket. That's how it's played here for the last two or three games that we played here. We knew it was a tricky and challenging pitch. But we bowled really well I think. Restricting a team under 150 is really commendable on any pitch and the bowlers did their job. We should have batted a lot better. Some poor shot selections and a runout didn't help. Some good learning from this for us hopefully. A loss for this is not what a team wants but sometimes you need a little reminder to keep turning up every game and keep doing our best. These low totals, you want to make use of the Powerplay. So for me and Quinton, it was about getting the team off to a good start, not necessarily getting off to a 60-run Powerplay, but at least get to 35 or 45 without losing too many wickets would have been ideal and set us up. Because we knew the pitch was going to grip a bit and scoring runs after the Powerplay and hitting boundaries might be difficult so we took a few chances that didn't come off. In the middle, we knew that their spinners will be difficult to score off, but having said that we have to find ways to score runs against good opposition on tricky pitches. That's something that we need to learn and figure out. Obviously we're not going to sit back and overanalyze a game like this. What we want is energy and intensity in the field and that was quite good while we were fielding. Batting, you get one chance and you can make a mistake. So you don't want to overanalyze a game like this. You want to learn from it and see how we can do better if we're put in a situation like this again."

Gujarat Titans bowler Rashid Khan: "I think those couple of games which didn't go well, it was all about my line and length. That was something I was missing in those games. The kind of pace I bowl and action I have, I cannot afford to lose my line and length and that was something I missed in two or three games. It was all about focusing on hitting the right area. The wicket was helping today and there was bounce and turn but overall it was just about my length. I have to bowl the right area, right length, and I will be able to pick wickets and make the run rate go higher. [On the pacers in the Powerplay] They have given us a platform. Shami the way he bowled, Yash, Hardik and Joseph, I think they way they bowled in the Powerplay, they gave us a kind of platform where we can come and put the pressure up and up. In a score like 140-145, you always need to have a good Powerplay and that was something the seamers gave us today. This is a very crucial part of the competition. The mistakes that we made in the games, whether we lost or won, it's all about the process. We have to keep the same process. We keep getting better day by day and match by match. It's not just about the result. If we keep learning and doing good things more and more, we have now qualified but the focus is on playing good cricket and enjoying the cricket. That is something we as a team will do and take it one day at a time. [Which wicket he enjoyed most] The wicket I got Jason Holder, that was a very crucial wicket at that time. We knew he's someone who can take the game away. So his wicket is something, I had planned to bowl that leggie from middle stump and I was expecting it to go to slip but leg before was something. That wicket I enjoyed a lot."

Gujarat captain Hardik Pandya: "Really proud of the boys. When we started this journey together, we obviously believed in ourselves, but before the 14th game to have qualified, it's a great effort and really proud of us. Last game, I spoke to the boys before going, I think we that that game was already over before it was over. That was a learning which we took. I think all the games that we've won, we were always under pressure. The last game was the only game that we were ahead of the game and we knew the kind of batters we have and we'll finish it off. But it did not happen. That was the talk of the group. Even in this game when they were eight down, I said, 'Let's be ruthless. This game is beautiful. If it's not over, it's not over. So let's make sure that we finish it. If they're down, let's keep them down, get this done and relax post-game.' [On Sai Kishore] Sai, I've rated him as a left-arm spinner quite high. He's quite a technical bowler. Because of his height and his pace, he gets a little extra from the wicket. Because of the fast bowling attack, we were not able to make him play. But looking at this wicket, we thought if we can add a spinner with the right-handers, it'll make a big difference. The way everyone batted, especially Shubman, I felt with 145 we were in the game. Their bowling, I think they were a little too short. A little fuller length was working. So that was the chat in the group as well. The only two shots they can score runs are cover drive, if you bowl really full, or if you give width. The bowlers did everything they're supposed to do and we ticked all the boxes. [The chat after two losses] I always feel when you lose a game like we did the last game, in a group what is important that you believe is we have won games as a team and we lose games as a team. We did not do what we were supposed to do and we know messed it up a little, but we will mess it up as a team. How we take credit like we say as a team, 'We won,' we'll make sure that if we lose, we'll say, 'We lost,' instead of saying, 'This guy, that guy.' We kept our laughter too. It's important to make sure the vibe is always there."

Player of the Match is Gujarat batter Shubman Gill for his unbeaten 63 off 49 balls: "It's quite pleasing. When you're there till the end, you finish the match for your team. It was one of the goals I had before the start of the season that I want to finish at least three or four matches for the team. I didn't expect the ball to seam as much in the start but it was nipping around in the first three or four overs. I was expecting their spinners to get turn. I felt that they didn't bowl up as much. If Krunal would have bowled up, it would have been difficult for us. But he was bowling short, a bit conservative and it was easy for us to maneuver around and we kept on picking those singles which are important on these type of wickets. Coming into the season, not many people gave us a chance or thought we'd qualify but here we are sitting on top of the table so it feels pretty good. Because the ground is a bit soft, I had a couple of back issues but hopefully it will be okay by the next match."

That's it for today's live coverage. Come back tomorrow for more live IPL action. On behalf of my commentary tag-team partner Sreshth Shah, I'm Peter Della Penna. Take care!

Slip, leg slip and short midwicket in for the hat-trick ball to Avesh Khan.

5 wickets for 9 runs in the last 15 legal balls. Rashid on a hat-trick.

Strategic timeout called. Better squeeze it in now because this chase might not last to the 16th over.

Mickey: "Was expecting it to be one sided match post first innings but didn't think it will be in favor of GT. In the hindsight it seems GT read the pitch very nicely and that lethargic innings of Gill is now paying off!" LSG have shot themselves in the foot a few times though it must be said.

No slip now for the new bat despite the current scoreline....

Viknesh: "Was Stoinis right in thinking for the 2?" Well, he responded to Hooda, who initially turned for two before then changing his mind.

Holder arrives on strike. Leg slip joins slip.

Stoinis arrives with the required run rate creeping close to double-digits.