Miller muscles Gujarat Titans into IPL final

Titans, the standout team this IPL with their consistent performances in the league phase, became the first to secure a play-off berth

Rajasthan Royals’ Jos Buttler cooked up a splendid knock for the seventh time this IPL but Gujarat Titans neutralised it with a solid team effort to march into the final in thrilling fashion here on Tuesday.

Orange Cap holder Buttler, who smashed three centuries and an equal number of half-centuries in the opening half of the season before inexplicably hitting a rough patch in the second half, smashed a 56-ball 89 (12x4, 2x6). Skipper Samson complemented the Englishman with a brilliant 26-ball 47 (5x4, 3x6) as Royals posted a competitive 188/6 at a sold-out Eden Gardens.

Titans, the standout team this IPL with their consistent performances in the league phase that saw become the first to secure a play-off berth and then seal top spot, then made light of the chase. Unlike Royals who rode largely on the brilliance of Buttler and Samson, nearly every batter contributed to Titans’ cause as they crossed the line in 19.3 overs with seven wickets to spare in Qualifier 1.

First opener Shubman Gill (35, 21b, 5x4, 1x6) and one-drop Mathew Wade (35, 30b, 6x4) set the chase up with a brilliant 71-run stand for the second wicket. Then skipper Hardik Pandya (40 n.o., 27b, 5x4) and David Miller (68 n.o. 38b, 3x4, 5x6) forged a calculative counter-attacking unbeaten 106-stand off 61 balls for the fourth wicket to flatten a fighting Royals.

Titans began their chase on a dismal note, losing in-form opener Wriddhiman Saha for a second ball duck. Barring that early strike, they always looked in command as batter after batter ensured the run rate never entered the danger mark that would force them to try something extraordinary.

First Gill and Wade set the tempo up with brisk batting in the Power Play. They didn’t throw their bats at everything but played some proper cricketing shots, picking the right balls to attack every over. The highlight of their batting was young Gill taking seasoned off-spinner R Ashwin in his very first over.

After Ashwin started with a wide, Gill danced down the track to smack Ashwin for a gorgeous six over covers. Ashwin then kept it short the next ball but Gill was quick to sense it and cut it for four. Ashwin fired the third one down the leg which Gill happily flicked for four.

Gill’s stay ended after he was involved in a mix-up with Wade and the Australian also didn’t last long thereafter as Royals sensed an opening. Pandya and Miller, two of Titans’ in-form batters, then took charge of the chase. They kept going at a good rate but a spell of tidy overs towards the end from Royals saw Titans needing 16 runs off the final over.

Suddenly the game appeared on a knife-edge but Miller smashed three successive sixes off Prasidh Krishna to book their date for Sunday’s final at their home ground in Ahmedabad.