In the Kuhl Fans Match Centre Live on JioHotstar, Sanjay Bangar discussed the Gujarat Titans’ defeat by the Lucknow Super Giants in the 64th IPL 2025 match at the Narendra Modi Stadium. The Jiostar analyst believed that the home team’s 33-run defeat might hurt their prospects of finishing first in the league stage of the season.
Bagar claimed that the home team was at a disadvantage after giving up 235. He did, however, commend the efforts of the middle-order batsmen, such as Shahrukh Khan and Sherfane Rutherford, who filled in when the home team’s top three batsmen were unable to perform at their peak. Bangar believed that the Titans’ inability to complete the chase would disappoint them.
With seven wickets remaining, the former Indian Batting Coach asserted that it was possible to reach 54 runs in the final four overs of the innings. Bangar believed that the 2022 winners will want to win their last league game and anticipate the Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians to have no more points than them going into the first qualifier.
‘Punjab Kings can certainly grab it’ – Sanjay Bangar on Qualifier 1 spot
“Conceding 235 put the game slightly out of reach. But the middle order – especially Rutherford and Shahrukh – brought them close. At 24 balls and 54 runs needed with 7 wickets in hand, you’d back the batting side these days. They’ll be disappointed not to finish stronger. Now, they must win the final game and hope two other teams drop points. This loss could push them to third or even fourth on the table,” said Bangar on JioHotstar.
He then regarded RCB as the favourites to finish at the top of the table. Bangar added that the second spot for Qualifier 1 is wide open and did not rule out the chances of the Punjab Kings getting there.
“I don’t see RCB falling out of the top two. The second spot, however, is still wide open – Punjab Kings can certainly grab it,” added Bangar.
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