Shubman Gill scored 67 in the chase for Gujarat Titans (Pic Credit: Sportzpics)
While it was Rahul Tewatia who once again scored the winning runs for Gujarat Titans against Punjab Kings
Talented Shubman Gill and returning Mohit Sharma help Gujarat Titans topple Punjab Kings in Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali on Thursday. It was a clinical performance from the defending champions as they defeated Shikhar Dhawan’s PBKS by 6 wickets with a ball to spare. Chasing a target of 154, Gill laid the foundation of victory by playing a sensible innings of 67 runs. The 23-year-old opener knew that the required run rate was not under much pressure as he took no chances during his knock and kept hitting boundaries at regular intervals. He hit seven fours and a six in his 49-ball innings. While it was Rahul Tewatia who once again scored the winning runs for the team as the Titans climbed to the third spot in the IPL 2023 points table.
Earlier, Mohit made a sensational comeback in the Indian Premier League and took two wickets in his debut game for Gujarat Titans. He was the pick of the bowlers for the Titans with bowling figures of 2/18 from four overs. He was playing in the IPL after missing the last two seasons and picked up the wicket of Jitesh Sharma in his second over, while all-rounder Sam Karan fell to him in the last over of his spell. Punjab Kings were restricted to 153/8 in 20 overs.
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In reply, the defending champions began their chase with a 48-run partnership for the first wicket. Wicket-keeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha once again allowed Gill to settle in the middle with a few boundaries at the start of the innings. Saha was dismissed by Kagiso Rabada, playing his first match of the season. He scored 30 runs in 19 balls with the help of five fours.
While Sai Sudarshan struggled to get going and was dismissed for 19 off 20 balls. The southpaw hit a few boundaries but his strike rate remained below 6.
Captain Hardik Pandya once again failed to score big with the bat and was dismissed after scoring 8 runs off Harpreet Brar.
David Miller joined hands with Gill and took the team over the line in a crucial clash. The duo shared a 42-run partnership before Gill was dismissed by Sam Curran in the final over. Miller scored an unbeaten 17 off 18 balls but it was Tewatia who once again made a big impact with his 2-ball 5 hitting a match-winning boundary.
Sent in to bat after Gujarat Titans skipper Hardik Pandya’s coin flip, PBKS lost Prabhsimran Singh in the second ball of the over when a length ball from Mohammed Shami was flicked straight to short midwicket by Rashid Khan. PBKS openers failed to open the account. Matthew Short was the top scorer for his side and played a valuable knock of 36 runs.
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It was a rare batting failure for skipper Dhawan as he was dismissed for 8 runs. Meanwhile, Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Sam Curran got starts but failed to convert them into big scores as the dot balls put extra pressure on them and they were dismissed for 20 runs. 26 and 22 respectively from 22 balls.
Shah Rukh Khan provided the team with a much-needed push, scoring 22 off 9 balls, which helped Punjab post a fighting total.
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