Six-hitting Miller blasts Titans to IPL final
SUMMARY: Rajasthan Royals 188-6 from 20 overs (Jos Buttler 89, Sanju Samson 47, Devdutt Padikkal 28, Hardik Pandya 1-14, Sai Kishore 1-43, Mohammed Shami 1-43, Yash Dayal 1-46) vs Gujarat Titans 191-3 from 19.3 overs (David Miller 68*, Hardik Pandya 40*, Shubman Gill 35, Matthew Wade 35, Trent Boult 1-38, Obed McCoy 1-40)
David Miller struck three consecutive sixes to pilot newcomers Gujurat Titans to a spot in the IPL final, beating Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets in Qualifier One on Tuesday in Kolkata.
Chasing 189, Titans required 23 off the final 12 balls, but Obed McCoy kept Rajasthan in the game, allowing just seven runs from the penultimate over.
Pradish Krishna was handed the ball for the final over with Titans needing 16, and South African Miller closed out the contest in the first three deliveries with a hat-trick of sixes.
The second maximum brought up the century partnership between Miller and skipper Hardik Pandya, the pair coming together at 85-3 after 9.5 overs.
Miller finished on 68 off 38 (3x4s, 5x6s), while Pandya was not out on 40 off 27 (5x4s). Opener Shubman Gill kickstarted the run-chase with a breezy 35 off 21 (5x4s, 1×6), while Matthew Wade made 35 off 30 (6x4s).
Earlier, Jos Buttler became only the sixth man to cross 700 runs in a single IPL season, overcoming a slow start to blast 89 off 56 (12x4s, 2x6s), his seventh 50-plus score of the season.
Sanju Samson made 47 off 26 (5x4s, 3x6s) and Devdutt Padikkal 28 off 20 (2x4s, 2x6s).
While the victory sends Titans straight to the final on Sunday (May 29), Rajasthan have another chance when they play in Qualifier Two on Friday (May 27) against the winner of the Eliminator between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers, set for Wednesday (May 25).
