India’s T20 World Cup victory in 2024 were a triumph of skill, strategy, and sheer determination. Among the many highlights of the tournament, one moment stood out: Suryakumar Yadav’s stunning catch to dismiss David Miller in the final. Fielding, often an underrated aspect of cricket, played a crucial role in this victory, exemplifying the saying that “catches win matches.”

The crucial moment

With South Africa needing 16 runs from the final over, the pressure was palpable. The crowd at the stadium and millions of viewers around the world held their breath. India’s skipper, Rohit Sharma, turned to Hardik Pandya to bowl the decisive over, hoping his experience and nerve would see India through.

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Suryakumar Yadav’s stunning catch

Hardik Pandya bowled a wide-ish full toss that David Miller struck powerfully down the park. The ball seemed destined to clear the boundary, but Suryakumar Yadav had other plans. He leaped into action, catching the ball mid-air with remarkable precision. As his momentum carried him out of play, Surya had the presence of mind to release the ball back into the air, find his balance, and jump back inside the ropes to complete the catch. This jaw-dropping effort sent Miller back to the dugout and gave India a massive advantage in the dying moments of the game.

Impact on the game

The dismissal of David Miller was a turning point. South Africa, just moments away from a potential victory, found themselves reeling from the blow. Suryakumar’s catch shifted the momentum entirely, and India went on to win the match by 7 runs, securing their place as T20 World Cup champions.

ICC recognition

The ICC recognized Suryakumar Yadav’s catch as one of the best in the T20 World Cup 2024. This acknowledgment places his effort alongside other incredible catches, highlighting its significance in the context of the tournament.

Other memorable catches

Among the best catches of the tournament were Axar Patel’s one-handed stunner to dismiss Mitchell Marsh, Gulbadin Naib’s spectacular grab, Roston Chase’s diving effort, Steven Taylor’s wonderful catch against Pakistan, and Aiden Markram’s backward dive. Each of these catches had its moment of glory, but Suryakumar’s effort in the final stands out due to its timing and impact.

Player reactions

Suryakumar Yadav expressed his joy and gratitude in post-match interviews, acknowledging the team effort that led to their victory. Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya also praised Surya’s catch, emphasizing its significance in their win. The team celebrated this moment, understanding its pivotal role in their triumph.

Suryakumar Yadav’s catch will be remembered as one of the defining moments in T20 World Cup history. Comparable to other famous catches in World Cup history, this moment will be etched in the memories of cricket fans for years to come.

As the South African team takes to the field for their historic ICC T20 World Cup final in Barbados, all eyes will be on their middle-order batter, David Miller. Known as the Proteas’ crisis man, Miller has a reputation for delivering crucial performances in ICC knockout games.

The Match-Up: India vs South Africa

Both India and South Africa have shown exceptional form throughout the tournament. South Africa secured a commanding nine-wicket victory over Afghanistan, ending their dream campaign. On the other hand, India avenged their semi-final defeat in the 2022 edition by defeating England by 68 runs. This final promises to be a thrilling encounter between two dominant sides.

See Also: T20 World Cup 2024 Final, South Africa vs India: Aiden Markram gears up for the final showdown at Barbados

David Miller: A player who never chokes

David Miller’s reputation as a dependable performer in high-pressure situations is well-deserved. Over the years, he has been South Africa’s go-to man in crunch games, especially in ICC tournaments. His ability to deliver under pressure has made him an invaluable asset for the Proteas.

Miller’s performance in ICC tournaments

ICC Champions Trophy 2013

During the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy semi-final against England, Miller scored a vital 56 off 51 balls, rescuing South Africa from a precarious position of 80/8 to 175. Though England chased the total easily, Miller’s knock was crucial in giving his team a fighting chance.

T20 World Cup 2014

In the 2014 T20 World Cup semi-final against India, Miller played a quickfire cameo of 23 off 12 balls. His efforts helped South Africa post a competitive total of 172/4, though India, led by Virat Kohli’s 72, eventually chased it down.

ODI World Cup 2015

Miller’s explosive 49 off 18 balls in the 2015 Cricket World Cup semi-final against New Zealand was another highlight. His innings included six fours and three sixes, boosting South Africa’s total to 281/5 in a rain-affected game. Despite his efforts, New Zealand managed to chase down the target.

ODI World Cup 2023

Perhaps his most valuable contribution came in the 2023 50-over World Cup semi-final against Australia. Miller’s century (101 off 116 balls) was instrumental in taking South Africa from 24/4 to a respectable 212. Although Australia chased the total, Miller’s innings was a standout performance under immense pressure.

In ICC tournament knockouts, Miller has amassed 229 runs in four games at an average of 76.33, including a century and a half-century. His best score remains the 101 against Australia. These statistics underscore his importance in crucial matches.

IPL knockouts performance

He has also been a key player in IPL knockout matches, representing Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans. Notable performances include a brisk 68 and 32 in winning causes against Rajasthan Royals in the 2022 season.

India’s counter strategy

India, aware of Miller’s capabilities, will have specific plans to counter him. Key bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja will play crucial roles in containing Miller. India’s strategy will likely involve varying their pace and using tight field placements to restrict Miller’s scoring opportunities.

The story remains the same for South Africa as another World Cup approaches. They have a talented group of players, full of potential. However, despite their abilities, it’s hard to truly fear a team with a history of falling apart when it matters most. Take the previous T20 World Cup in 2022, for example. South Africa needed just one more win to reach the semi-finals but ended up losing to the Netherlands in a major upset, a collapse that was disappointing even by their own standards.

This pattern of underperformance isn’t new for South Africa. In the 2021 T20 World Cup, they were eliminated on net run rate, taking too long to chase a target of 85. Back in 2012, three costly sixes from Umar Gul led to their downfall. In 2007, while chasing 154 against India, they were restricted to 116, falling short of the qualification mark by 10 runs. These examples highlight a recurring issue: no matter how strong the team appears, they often struggle to deliver when the stakes are high.

See Also: IPL 2024: Season Review: Which players fell short of expectations this season?

What can win them the trophy?

South Africa boasts a powerful lineup of batters, including David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Tristan Stubbs, Aiden Markram, and Quinton de Kock, each having scored over 1,000 T20 runs globally since 2023. These players will be the core of the team, earning South Africa the dark horse tag for the upcoming World Cup. There’s always a first time for everything, and the Rainbow Nation hopes that this will finally be the tournament where a South African cricket team performs to its full potential from start to finish.

However, numerous past heartbreaks have eroded confidence in the team’s ability to deliver when it counts. This creates the biggest paradox in South African cricket: whether to hold on to hope or to brace for another letdown. Despite the immense talent and promise, the weight of history makes it hard to fully believe in a different outcome.

South Africa’s middle order is formidable, featuring Klaasen at four, Miller at five, and Stubbs at six. These batters excel against both pace and spin. Heinrich Klaasen has been among the top T20 batters since 2023, scoring more runs than any other middle-order player and boasting the highest strike rate. His performance against spin has been outstanding, with 800 runs at an average of 53.3 and a strike rate of 190.5. Tristan Stubbs has also been impressive, amassing 737 runs this season with an average of 52.6 and a strike rate of 174.2.

Notably, 66% of his runs have come in the death overs, where he strikes at 225.6, making him the most prolific death-overs batter in the recently concluded IPL 2024. Although David Miller’s numbers are more modest (average 28.8, strike rate 133.5), he remains a dynamic T20 player. As a left-hander, Miller adds the valuable left-hand-right-hand combination to the trio.

On good batting pitches, South Africa’s middle order can elevate the team to towering scores. They are also capable of handling the most complete spin attacks on slower tracks. Even above them, South Africa boasts established players like Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, and Aiden Markram. As demonstrated in the 50-over World Cup last year, South Africa has the ability to bat the opposition out of the game in favorable batting conditions. This powerful lineup gives them the potential to dominate matches and make a deep run in the upcoming World Cup.

South Africa’s top seven players are straightforward selections. They have the flexibility to field three spinners by adding wrist-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi alongside finger spinners Keshav Maharaj and Aiden Markram. Alternatively, they can opt for a pace-heavy attack by including bowlers like Gerald Coetzee or Junior Dala. With three of their four group games scheduled to be played in New York, where conditions are uncertain, it will be crucial for them to quickly assess and adapt to the playing environment. This versatility in their lineup gives South Africa multiple strategic options depending on the conditions they encounter.

IND vs SA, 1st ODI: Innings South Africa 249 for 4 (Miller 75*, Klaasen 74*, de Kock 48, Thakur 2-35) vs India

In the rain-reduced first ODI against India in Lucknow, South Africa posted a competitive total of 249 for 4 (Miller 75*, Klaasen 74*, de Kock 48, Thakur 2-35)

All thanks to an unbroken fifth-wicket partnership of 139 runs between Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller. Building on Quinton de Kock’s 48, the two increased South Africa’s score from 110 to 4 in the 23rd over and more than doubled it after 40 overs.

At 7.8 runs per over, Klaasen scored his fourth ODI century and Miller scored his 18th, putting pressure on India’s five-man attack. Ravi Bishnoi’s debut cost India 69 runs in eight overs, Mohammed Siraj and Avesh Khan were hit for over six, and Shardul Thakur and Kuldeep Yadav conceded at under five.

Siraj and Avesh opened with four testing overs each and made excellent use of bowler-friendly conditions to restrict South Africa to 28 runs in the eight-over powerplay. Both players moved and made the openers think twice about their off stump.They managed to escape after Janneman Malan was repeatedly beaten and de Kock was struck in the thigh.De Kock drove Avesh through the middle of the off, Malan hit two good pull shots to the boundary, and most importantly, they made it to the line.

When Thakur came on as the first change and drew Malan forward to take the edge, they were close to splitting, but Shubman Gill stopped it at the first slip.Two overs later, Malan hit a full ball to Shreyas Iyer at midwicket, and Thakur got his man. The first stand ended on 49.

That brought the under-fire captain Temba Bavuma to the crease, and when he bottom-edged Thakur on to his foot and came close to cutting on, he almost fell for his third duck in four innings on the tour. Bavuma played an authoritative reverse sweep off a no-ball from Bishnoi, giving the impression that the tide had turned for him. He then drove Bishnoi through a deep point, but the fun didn’t last long. Bavuma did not reach double-figures on this tour yet because he was bowled between the bat and the pad by Thakur using a cross-seamer.

Shikhar Dhawan brought in Kuldeep to replace Bishnoi because he saw an opportunity to break into South Africa’s middle order. Aiden Markram was clearly unable to read Kuldeep. Markram was bowled as he attempted to defend by the leg spinner after being fixed by the googly and the shorter delivery. After 16 overs, South Africa were 71 for 3.

Kuldeep continued to pose a problem for South Africa, and he had Klaasen top-edging a sweep; however, the opportunity missed Dhawan at slip and was thrown wide.A well-placed slog-sweep between fine leg and deep square not long after gave Klaasen his own back. South Africa’s recovery was on track when de Kock was out lbw when he missed a reverse sweep to become Bishnoi’s first ODI wicket. Klaasen and de Kock’s fourth-wicket partnership grew to 39 at a scoring rate above six, and de Kock was out for his first ODI wicket.De Kock looked over the play, but ball tracking revealed that Bishnoi was hitting the middle stump.

Miller was ready to tee off with 17.4 overs remaining and a solid foundation in place. He was given a short, wide delivery in the front and hit it through the covers for four. He then swept the first Kuldeep ball he faced for four more and tore Bishnoi back over his head for six, bringing up the heavy artillery.Dhawan brought Thakur back after the spinners gave up 26 runs in three overs. Thakur calmed things down and even threatened Miller’s outside edge. 

However, Bishnoi had to be brought back because there were only five bowlers in the attack, and Klaasen took over as the aggressor. He hit Kuldeep over the covers for his first six and found the gap between square leg and midwicket for four, leaving South Africa on 164 for 4 with ten overs remaining.

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As Miller and Klaasen alternated between an all-out attack and saving themselves for the end, India conceded 31 runs in the subsequent five overs. Miller hit fifty off fifty balls in the 36th over, and Klaasen hit fifty off 52 before flat-battering Avesh for six. When Miller was dropped off at Siraj by Ruturaj Gaikwad, things continued to go wrong for India; Klaasen was then given to Avesh by Siraj; Bishnoi also threw Miller out on the next pitch, resulting in an over that cost Avesh 16 runs.One run short of 250, South Africa scored 54 in the final five overs.

In front of a jam-packed crowd at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Rahul sizzled with an eye-pleasing 57 of 28 balls, before Suryakumar brought out full carnage of 360 degree shots to make 61 off just 22 balls. Captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Dinesh Karthik played their parts well as India made merry and enthralled the fans by feasting on an ordinary bowling performance from South Africa, barring Keshav Maharaj’s 2/23 in four overs. 

India were off to a fiery start right from the word go when Rahul placed a length ball from Kagiso Rabada between backward point and cover for four. The aggression from India then upped in the fourth over when Rahul nonchalantly flicked off wrists to send a Wayne Parnell delivery over deep backward square leg for six. On the very next ball, Rahul crisply brought out square drive off Parnell for four more. Before Rohit glanced through fine leg to make it the second four of the over. Rohit and Rahul took a four each in the next two overs off Lungi Ngidi and Keshav Maharaj to end the power-play at 57/0.

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David Miller’s century goes in vain as IND beat SA by 16 runs

Post power-play, Rahul thumped Anrich Nortje all around the park. Smacking him for a brace of sixes and a four over the keeper’s head. Rohit increased the thrashing by taking successive boundaries in the ninth over costing 21 runs. The 96-run opening stand was broken by Maharaj when Rohit dragged a slog-sweep to deep mid-wicket. Rahul reached his fifty in 24 balls when he danced down the pitch to smack. Aiden Markram over long-on for six and brought up India’s hundred in the process. In the next over, Rahul missed the sweep on a skiddy delivery from Maharaj and was trapped lbw.

Suryakumar wept and cut through for fours in his first four balls to maintain the run-rate tempo. He then took Kagiso Rabada for cleaners in the 15th over. Flick-off wrists went for six over deep square leg, followed by loft over long-off for four. A scoop-pull over fine leg for four was followed by a scooping a flick over fine leg for six to take 22 runs of the over. Suryakumar’s carnage continued when he slapped a full toss off Ngidi over deep mid-wicket for six. Followed it up with a slice over the third man for four. He brought up his fifty in 18 balls with a fantastic uppercut over backward point for six on a no-ball off Parnell.

Kohli joined the boundary-hitting party with a six and two fours off Parnell, followed by a four off Ngidi. Kohli hit two more fours before Karthik applied finishing touches with a four and two sixes in the final over. To end a memorable batting show by India.

In a continuing sign of T20 franchise owners gravitating towards players they already know and trust, Paarl Royals snapped up the South African duo of David Miller and uncapped allrounder Corbin Bosch, England’s new white-ball captain Jos Buttler and West Indies fast bowler Obed McCoy. All four have worked for these owners before – in the IPL with Rajasthan Royals – and will continue to do so now in the upcoming CSA T20 League

According to tournament rules, a team can sign a maximum of one capped South African, three overseas players and an uncapped player ahead of the players auction. So far, the Durban franchise – owned by the same group that manages Lucknow Super Giants and comprising the same core of players who helped take LSG to the knockout stages of IPL 2022 – and MI Cape Town have announced their picks. Buttler bossed this year’s IPL for the Royals, scoring a whopping 863 runs, an average of 57.53 and a strike rate of 149.05. He hit four centuries and smashed 45 sixes and was also the leading run-getter of the competition.

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Royals now stepping into CSA league, Buttler, McCoy big names

Miller, who was part of the IPL title-winning Gujarat Titans, amassed a total of 449 runs at a strike rate of 141.19. He was eighth in the list of leading run-getters this season – and second behind captain Hardik Pandya for the Titans. McCoy, who represented Royals in the IPL this year, chipped in with 11 wickets from seven matches at an economy over nine. Early this month, he picked up his career-best figures for West Indies against India in the second T20I which the hosts won by five wickets.

The uncapped South African Bosch joined the Rajasthan franchise this IPL as a replacement for injured fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile, but didn’t get to play a single match. The 27-year old, who plays for the Titans in domestic cricket, is a seam-bowling allrounder who bats in the lower-middle order. Having made his T20 debut in 2014, he has played only 30 games, scoring 151 runs at a strike rate of 120.80 and picking up 18 wickets at an economy of 8.16. He has also played 24 first-class games and 21 List A games.

The CSA release on Wednesday also said the player auction would take place “in the next few weeks” before the league begins in January 2023. All six franchises have been bought by groups that own teams in the IPL and the league is likely to allow four overseas players in the playing XI with no requirements for transformation as of now.

Temba Bavuma has been ruled out of South Africa‘s all-format tour of England and two T20Is against Ireland picking up an elbow injury during the new T20Is in India. Keshav Maharaj and David Miller are named captains of the ODI and T20I sides respectively in Bavuma’s absence.

Bavuma was hurt while diving to complete a single in the fourth T20I against India and fell to his left side arm, injuring both soft tissue and bone. He won’t need any surgery and is supposed to require eight weeks to recover and is aiming to return for the World Cup.

The tour will mark the international comeback for Rilee Rossouw.

Rossouw, the 32-year-old batter, played the last of his 51 international games in October 2016 during the T20 World Cup in India. Very recently, he has gotten back to play in South Africa’s domestic setup and was the leading run-scorer in the last season’s provincial T20 tournament, while he is as of now third on the batting chart at the Vitality Blast.

Also Read: India vs Ireland 2nd T20I: India wins by 4 runs!

In the interim, 21-year-old speedy bowler Gerald Coetzee has received his maiden international call-up. Both Rossouw and Coetzee have been included exclusively in the T20I crews. Referring to responsibility management, Kagiso Rabada may be accessible for the T20 games. Right-arm quick bowler Gerald Coetzee procures a maiden T20 call-up.

The T20Is against England and Ireland are the last official  games South Africa are scheduled to play before the T20 World Cup. That squad will see a return for Andile Phehlukwayo, who missed the tour to India, and Aiden Markram, who missed the India series subsequent to contracting Covid-19. Tristan Stubbs, who appeared in India, held his place.

“The T20 format is a high priority for us at the moment, We are looking to give opportunities to players that we are interested in seeing and working out the best combinations, while also trying to balance our desire to maintain enough consistency within the set up that the players are used to playing together as a team by the time they reach Australia for the World Cup.”

 selection convener Victor Mpitsang said in a statement.

After the Auction, many questioned the Gujarat Titans strategy of not picking up a keeper early on, and going in light on batting. The decision to retain Shubman Gill was questioned, and hopes on Gujarat Titans going far in this tournament were minimal. Two months later, Gujarat Titans are in their first ever IPL Final, and their bowling might is being praised.

With a bowling line-up consisting of Mohammad Shami, Lockie Ferguson/ Alzarri Joseph, and Rashid Khan, the Gujarat Titans have incredible bowling death, and can take wickets while restricting runs at any phase of the innings. Both Lockie Ferguson and Alzarri Joseph, are handy death bowlers, while Mohammad Shami is brilliant with the new-ball, taking wickets up front consistently while constantly evolving as a death bowler.

There is Rashid Khan next, who can bowl at any stage of the innings, and has been brilliant with his control while silently chipping away with wickets when needed. Yash Dayal and Sai Kishore have come in as bonuses to the side. Both bowlers are doing a wonderful supporting job, while Hardik Pandya has also chipped in with the ball, ensuring that one of the top-four can provide crucial overs. The bowling depth in the eleven though has been so deep that Rahul Tewatia, a main leg-spinner in the Royals last season, is hardly being used.

With the bat, Gujarat Titans have constantly found heroes. Their retention strategy was questioned, but Shubman Gill’s early knocks helped silence critics, while Wriddhiman Saha quickly came into his own in the powerplay. With Saha and Gill finding their roles in the side, the rest of the batting line-up settled itself well. There was Matthew Wade who moved in and out of the side, while Hardik Pandya used this season as an opportunity to bat at number four.

Batting at number four, Hardik Pandya has shown himself to be a capable batter, and is pretty consistent as a batter who can play with intent while holding on until the finishing stages of the innings. The biggest surprise for the Gujarat Titans with the bat though has been David Miller.

David Miller has been a part of the IPL for a long time. He was a central figure in the Punjab Kings early on, leading the side for half a season as well, but has fallen away in the last few seasons. With David Miller falling of radar, he was unsold in the initial round of the auctions, but came back and was picked up by the Gujarat Titans.

With the Gujarat Titans, David Miller has been given more responsibility than he has with other sides. Knowing the side is light on batting, he has looked to take games deep, and is a vital clog in the middle-order. Coming in at five, David Miller has shown his ability to maneuver spin bowlers well, used his experience nicely and is enjoying one of his best seasons. His game against spin in particular has impressed a lot, and David Miller is looking as comfortable as ever out in the middle.

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With experience in the form of David Miller, taking games deep has been easy as Gujarat Titans have been able to use Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan to find boundaries in the end with Miller biding his time. Together, the three players have played crucial knocks in the death, and this has allowed Gujarat to develop a strong middle order to go with their strong bowling attack.

Champion sides in the IPL generally have the best bowling attacks, while the middle-order strength looks like it is never ending. Mumbai Indians came in with such strength in IPL 2020, while SRH proved that bowling depth can win tournaments in 2016, and with Gujarat Titans ticking both boxes, they seem well on their way to win their first IPL trophy. Ahead of them though are the Rajasthan Royals, who have a strong bowling attack of their own while the batting line-up has some nice names in them as well.

Vintage David Miller and captain Hardik Pandya inspired Gujarat Titans to reach the final of IPL 2022 on their debut season with a 7-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Pandya and Miller shared an unbeaten 106-run stand for the fourth wicket to help Gujarat chase down the 189-run target with 3 balls to spare. Miller turned back the clock to score blistering 68 runs* off 38 balls. The southpaw struck 5 sixes and 3 fours. Pandya scored unbeaten 40 runs off 27 balls as his innings was laced with five fours.

Gujarat needed 16 runs in the final over and Miller activated his ‘killer mode’ to get the job done. The southpaw finished the match in the first three balls by smashing three back-to-back sixes. David Miller has always performed an unenviable role in T20 cricket: that of a finisher without an added bowling skill. It is by its nature a job where you fail more often than succeed. You don’t get to chalk up the big runs to seduce the decision makers with traditional stats. And when you go to play in leagues not in your country, you find it difficult to get one of the limited overseas slots.

Chasing a formidable target of 189, Gujarat Titans lost their in-form opener Wriddhiman Saha on the second ball as Trent Boult managed to get an edge from the batter’s bat to dismiss him on a duck. Mattew Wade came out to bat at number 3 as he joined hands with Shubman Gill to help Gujarat recover from the early blow. The duo shared a 72-run stand for the second wicket to give their team an upper hand. However, a horrible miscommunication between the two led to Gill’s run-out on 35. Wade also joined him in the pavilion soon after getting caught by Buttler near the boundary line on Obed McCoy’s delivery.
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David Miller explains Support help him succeed for Gujarat Titans

Pandya and Miller revived the chase after double jolts and helped Gujarat reach the final on their debut season. Interestingly, the final will be Gujarat’s first match at their home stadium – Narendra Modi Stadium. It was a forgettable night for Rajasthan Royals spin duo Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal who remained wicketless. While Boult and McCoy shared a wicket each.

Earlier, riding high on luck, Buttler returned to form and smashed 89 runs to help Rajasthan post a challenging 188 for 6 against a high-quality Titans bowling attack. Buttler struggled miserably against the spinners but he completely bossed the pacers with his blistering shots. The current Orange Cap holder also had luck on his side as Titans fielders failed to grab his catch thrice. David Miller managed to crash a four in the over of Obed McCoy but he did really well to limit Gujarat Titans to just 7 runs. GT 172/3 in 19 over. They need 16 runs from the final over now.

First up, it was skipper Sanju Samson’s swagger that was on full display as the Royals skipper, seemingly hurt by the latest selections snub, responded in style with a 26-ball 47 (5×4, 3×6). Sensational stuff from David Miller. Gujarat Titans needed 16 off the final over. And Miller clobbers three sixes off the first three deliveries of the over bowled by Prasidh Krishna – over long-on and then twice over midwicket. Gujarat Titans chase overhaul the target of 189 in 19.3 overs to finish with 191/3. Miller stays unbeaten on 68 off 38. Hardik Pandya 40* off 27. 

It was not the best of days for Gujarat bowlers as apart from Rashid Khan (0/15 in 4 overs) and Hardik Pandya (2/14 in 2 overs), all of them leaked runs with a 10-plus economy rate. The final of the IPL 2022 will be played on May 29 at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.

David Miller played possibly his best IPL innings, 94 off 51, to help Gujarat Titans chase down Chennai Super Kings’ 170 from 16 for 3 and 87 for 5. For the first 17 overs, it was Miller or bust with just 43 non-Miller runs in 59 legal deliveries. They needed 48 now, and were 4.2% favorites to win. That’s when Rashid Khan, captaining in the absence of Hardik Pandya, lent Miller a hand in sensational fashion, hitting Chris Jordan for 6, 6, 4 and 6 to turn it into a routine affair for Titans.

Dwayne Bravo, though, was to CSK’s second half what Miller was to Titans’ first half: he bowled four overs on the trot starting with the 13th for 23 runs and three wickets, but the other end leaked 60 off 23 balls without taking a single wicket. Bravo finished his spell with two strikes in two balls. One of them was Rashid, which left Titans needing 13 off the last over. Miller only had the bowlers for company now but it didn’t matter because Jordan kept missing his yorker, and even bowled a high full toss to let Titans get home with one ball to spare.

CSK will be gutted that they slipped up in the final overs of both innings. After Ruturaj Gaikwad returned to form with a fifty and Ambati Rayudu’s intent promised another big finishing kick, their last six overs produced just 45, the third-lowest for a side batting first this season. That after the preceding four had gone for 58. It was Alzarri Joseph, who dragged CSK back with the wicket of Rayudu after which their deep attack turned the screws. Gaikwad and Rayudu set up for a big finish.

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Miller strikes at perfect time to get this win from CSK at crucial stage

Titans managed to get the most explosive powerplay batter of this season, Robin Uthappa, early in the innings after his highest IPL score, and Moeen Ali’s middling IPL continued to leave the score at 32 for 2 in the sixth over. However, Gaikwad, just 35 in five matches before this, and Rayudu rebuilt the innings looking for a classic CSK acceleration in the back 10. Gaikwad and Rayudu take down the best of them. Aware of the CSK threat in the last 10 overs, Titans brought back the best of their bowlers immediately to try to take a wicket. An all-out assault awaited them.

Gaikwad welcomed Joseph back with a pulled six before Rayudu charged down at him and lofted him over long-off.

Lockie Ferguson went for a six and a four. Rayudu hit Rashid himself for a six. At 124 for 2 in 14, CSK looked primed. Joseph starts comeback, others follow. Playing his first match this IPL, Joseph made a superb comeback in the 15th over. He kept bowling wide outside off to make Rayudu hit to the bigger boundary. Two plays and misses later, Rayudu somehow caught up with the third, but went only as far as deep point. Mohammed Shami came back with only four off the 16th, ending with figures of 4-0-20-1. Yash Dayal took Gaikwad out with a low full toss for 73 off 48.

Twenty-five balls went without a boundary as Shivam Dube struggled with the slowness of the pitch.Rashid, who had perhaps kept himself back for MS Dhoni, conceded no boundary in the 19th. It was only Ravindra Jadeja using the short leg side boundary against Ferguson in the last over, taking 18 off it, that gave CSK a competitive total. Theekshana strikes earlyWith Pandya, their best batter so far, not playing Titans must have looked to Shubman Gill for a major contribution, but he unfortunately cut the first ball he faced – short, wide, asking to be hit – straight to cover-point. Fresh off a four-four in the last match, turned the screw with the wickets of Vijay Shankar and Abhinav Manohar in the powerplay.

Wriddhiman Saha scored a forgettable 11 off 18 to make it 48 for 4 after eight overs.