IPL 2022 | GT vs PBKS | How to stop the GT finishers?

Gujarat Titans (GT) have been the team to beat in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. They have managed to snatch victories from the jaws of defeat in most of their matches in the campaign. As a result, the debutants are currently placed at the top of the points table with eight wins from nine matches.

While the top order has failed to deliver in some of the matches, the middle-order and the lower middle-order have found ways to take the team home from crunch situations. David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, and Rashid Khan are three names that stand out when we talk about finishing games for GT.

Punjab will have to find ways to stop these three if they are to win against GT. So let us look at how they can stop them.

David Miller: David Miller has played a few crucial knocks for the team in the lower middle order.

IPL 2022: David Miller has scored 276 runs in IPL 2022 at an average of 69.0 and a strike rate of 150.82. He played an unreal knock of 94 runs from 51 deliveries in GT's match against CSK. In a challenging situation, Killer Miller scored 39 runs from 24 deliveries against RCB. PBKS will have to find a way of dismissing Miller early to win the match.

Plan against Miller: David Miller's strike rate against off-spinners is just 120.48, suggesting that he finds it difficult to score against off-spin. Even left-arm pacers tend to trouble the South African batter. His Balls Per Dismissal against them is 24, but his strike rate against left-arm pacers is 146.86. So, an off-spinner and a left-arm pacer who can be accurate against Miller seems to be a good plan.

Punjab doesn't have a proper off-spinner, but they can use Livingstone, who can be handy with his off-spinners. But the bonus for PBKS will be the presence of Arshdeep Singh in their bowling lineup. He will be a great option against Miller in the death overs. Besides, Kagiso Rabada, who also plays for South Africa, will have some ideas about the left-hander. As per records, Rabada keeps him quiet, conceding runs at 6.4 per over rate and has also dismissed him once. Hence, Livingstone, Arshdeep, and Rabada might be the options against Miller for Punjab.

Rahul Tewatia: Rahul Tewatia has made it a habit to pull off miraculous heists and rescue GT from losing situations.

IPL 2022: In IPL 2022, Tewatia has scored 179 runs from 8 innings at a strike rate of 161.26. In the last encounter against PBKS, Tewatia hit two sixes off the last two balls to guide them to victory. Besides this, his 40* (24) against Lucknow, 40*(21) against Hyderabad, and 43*(25) against Bangalore have all come in winning causes for GT. He has been the most impactful batter for GT this season.

Plan against Tewatia: Rahul Tewatia is predominantly a legside player. His general bat swing intends to hit the ball in the mid-wicket or the square-leg region. Two things that the teams haven't tried enough against him are bowling wide yorkers outside the off-stump and short pitch deliveries.

PBKS should look to use Arshdeep and Rabada against Tewatia. Arshdeep should be tasked with bowling wide yorkers to Tewatia and mix it up with slower balls on a good length. The left-arm pacer will have to be accurate as the GT southpaw enjoys full-length deliveries and pace on the ball. On the other hand, Kagiso Rabada should be asked to ball lethal short balls, cramping Tewatia with his sheer pace. PBKS can look to employ this strategy against Tewatia and see how things turn out.

Rashid Khan: The main trade of Rashid Khan is his bowling. But in IPL 2022, he is proving his worth with the bat.

IPL 2022: In the match against Hyderabad, Rashid Khan slammed three sixes against Marco Jansen in the last over when his team required 22 runs off six balls. He remained unbeaten on 31 off 11 balls and won the match for his team. In the match against Chennai, Rashid scored 40 off 21 deliveries and played a great supporting role to David Miller in helping his team win the match.

Plan Against Rashid Khan: In the two match-winning knocks he has played, we have seen him using his strong bottom hand to great effect. He scores at a great strike rate with his innovative helicopter shots and strong short-arm jabs. But, as far as we have seen, he is dangerous against full-length deliveries, and the teams have missed the plot there.

He enjoys pace in his arc. So, PBKS bowlers should look to bowl away from him and take the pace off. Another plan can be short balls at his body, cramping him for room. They will have to mix the length and vary the pace to restrict Rashid Khan.