Achi news desk-
Ahmedabad: ShashanWith the help of K Singh’s unbeaten half-century, Punjab Kings defeated Gujarat Titans by three wickets in a very exciting Indian Premier League match here on Thursday.
Chasing the Titans’ 200-run target, the Punjab Kings team was in trouble against the excellent bowling of Noor Ahmed (2 wickets for 32 runs) after losing five wickets for 111 runs in the 13th over, but Shashank hit six fours and a four. 29 balls. By playing an unbeaten innings of 61 runs with six sixes, the team reached the winning score of 200 runs for seven wickets with one ball to spare.
Shashank made a partnership of 39 runs for the sixth wicket with Geech Sharma (16 runs from two sixes in eight balls) and 43 runs for the seventh wicket with Ashutosh Sharma (31 runs from three sixes and one four in 17 balls) for Punjab. Victory is guaranteed.
For Punjab, captain Shubman Gill played an unbeaten innings of 89 runs in 48 balls with four sixes and six fours. Apart from a 53-run partnership for the third wicket with Sai Sudarshan (33), he made a 35-run partnership in 14 balls with Rahul Tewatia (23 not out in eight balls), which took the team’s score to 199 runs for four wickets .
Chasing the target, Jonny Bairstow hit three fours in Azmatullah Omarzai’s first over (1 wicket for 41 runs), but captain Shikhar Dhawan (01) bowled Umesh Yadav’s first ball (1 wicket for 35 runs).
After hitting a four in five, Prabhasimran Singh (35) hit a three and a four in his next over.
Left-arm spinner Noor Ahmed bowled Bairstow (22) off his first ball.
Punjab scored 54 runs for two wickets in the power play.
Then Prabhasimran, while trying to play big, gave a very catchy catch to Mohit Sharma (1 wicket for 38 runs) in the third ball short of Noor’s ball. Facing 24 balls, he hit five fours and one six.
Sam Curran (05) also played Umarzai’s ball into Williamson’s hands at short pitch, making the team’s score 70 runs for four wickets.
Shashank completed the team’s hundred runs in the 11th by hitting two fours and a six in consecutive balls of umesh.
Mohit Sharma dealt the fifth blow to Punjab by having Sikander Raza (15) caught by wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha in his second ball.
Shashank meanwhile tried to maintain the running pace. He hit his third six in Rashid Khan (1 wicket for 40 runs).
Punjab Kings needed 62 runs in the last five overs. Jitch Sharma (16) hit two consecutive sixes off Rashid but was caught by Darshan Nalkanda on the next full toss.
Umesh dropped Ashutosh’s catch on Mohit’s ball.
Punjab needed 41 runs in the last three overs. Ashutosh kept Punjab’s hopes alive with three fours off Omarzai.
Shashank meanwhile completed his half-century in 25 balls in one run.
Shashank and Ashutosh turned the game in Punjab’s favor by hitting sixes off Mohit in the 19th over.
The team needed seven runs in the last over. Ashutosh then caught Rashid at long on in Nalkanda’s first ball, but Shashank took the team to the target.
Dhawan won the toss and invited the Titans to bat. Gill opened the account with a six in the first over of left-arm spinner Harprit Brar (one wicket for 33 runs).
Wriddhiman Saha (11) hit a four off Kagiso Rabada but was caught by Dhawan at mid-on off the same fast bowler’s next ball.
Gill then decorated the innings by adding 40 runs with Kane Williamson (26). After hitting a four at Rabada, Williamson welcomed Sam Curran with two fours.
Titans scored 52 runs for 1 wicket in the power play.
However, Williamson, trying to increase the run rate, played Harfreet’s ball into the hands of Jonny Bairstow at backward point.
Once Sudarshan came on, he opened the account with a four off Harprit and then with two consecutive fours off Sikander Raza, he took the team’s score past 100 runs in the 12th over.
In the next championship, Gill hit a six in Rabada while Sudarshan hit a four.
However, Sudarshan was caught by wicketkeeper Jeet Sharma off Herschel Patel’s ball.
Gill completed his first half-century of the current season in 31 balls with a four off Harpreet.
Gill tried to increase the run rate with sixes off Harschel and Rabada. Vijay Shankar (08) However, Rabada’s ball was played into Harpreet’s hands at the end of time.
Tawatia hit a six and a four off Herschel in the 19th and then hit fours in the last two balls of Arshdeep’s innings.
Both Rabada and Herschel gave the same 44 runs. Rabda got two goals while Herschel got one goal.
