In a dramatic finish at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Punjab Kings (PBKS) returned to winning ways in the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. The hosts Gujarat Titans (GT) put up a formidable 199 and PBKS seemed to be out of contention at one stage.
However, the IPL is a platform that inspires young talent and we witnessed Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma inspire PBKS to a three-wicket victory that would be remembered by their teammates and fans for a long time.
PBKS captain Shikhar Dhawan won the toss and chose to bowl first. Both teams were forced to make a change each due to injury concerns. Sikandar Raza replaced Liam Livingstone for PBKS, whereas Kane Williamson came in for David Miller.
GT’s innings was anchored by their captain Shubman Gill, who finished unbeaten on 89 off 48 balls on a ground he enjoys batting. In a sense, it rekindled memories of the 2023 season when he scored two out of his three TATA IPL centuries at this venue.
It was an innings of typical class. From the time he hit Harpreet Brar for a six down the ground in the first over, up until the last over, there was class on show.
The shot that stood out in Gill’s innings was a straight loft over Kagiso Rabada’s head for six in the 13th over – there was balance, poise and class written all over it. Gill moved into the 80s in the 18th over and could have gotten his hundred but did not get a lot of the strike in the last over.
Following the early loss of Wriddhiman Saha (11), Gill had support at the other end from Kane Williamson (26 off 22 balls) and Sai Sudharsan (33 off 19 balls). Williamson was playing his first match of this season and batted for the first time in the TATA IPL for GT. He had settled in with a few classy boundaries, only to be dismissed by Harpreet Brar in the ninth over.
Sai Sudharsan’s good cameo helped GT up the tempo in the middle overs. The six boundaries he picked during his 19 balls helped accelerate, and the energy also rubbed off on Gill at the other end. sudharsan was dismissed while playing to upper-cut and walked back to the pavilion even before the umpire could rule him out.
GT would have thought of targeting the 200-mark at the beginning, but at one stage it seemed far away. Thanks to Rahul Tewatia’s inventive 23 off eight balls at the end, GT managed to get to 199. Tewatia was at his innovative best with a wristy flick for six over square leg and a sweep off Harshal Patel for four in the 19th over.
PBKS’s chase started off in style, with Jonny Bairstow picking up three fours in the first over bowled by Azmatullah Omarzai. GT hit back when Umesh Yadav struck with his first ball in the second over as Shikhar Dhawan inside-edged one onto his stumps in an attempt to cut.
Bairstow and Prabhsimran scripted a bit of a recovery with a few attacking shots. Prabhsimran, in particular, stamped his authority. The stand was ultimately broken when Noor Ahmad castled Bairstow with a beauty that went between bat and pad.
Noor stuck again, dismissing the dangerous Prabhsimran for 35. The middle overs were difficult for PBKS as GT struck at regular intervals. It was only when Shashank Singh came into the middle that their hopes were re-ignited. Shashank was aggressive from the outset and tried to get the required rate in check. Jitesh Sharma joined in when he smashed two sixes in the 16th over. However, he then got out trying to hit a third towards mid-wicket.
In the last four overs, PBKS needed 47. Mohit Sharma bowled a great over as he conceded only 16. With the pressure mounting, the Impact Player for PBKS, Ashutosh Sharma got them into the game again when he picked up three fours off Omarzai. Meanwhile, Shashank sped away to his fifty off only 25 balls.
With 25 needed, Mohit returned for the penultimate over and was picked for 18 runs. Ashutosh and Shashank looked unstoppable. Shashank hit a six over mid-wicket for a six off the last ball, and that left them needing seven off the last over.
Darshan Nalkande was brought in for the last over, and off the first ball, he had Ashutosh (31 off 17 balls) caught at long-on. With five needed off three balls, Shashank (61 off 29 balls) got the outside edge, and it went for four over third-man.
A leg-bye then sealed the deal for PBKS. The 43-run stand between Ashutosh and Shashank was the match-winner for the visitors. (IPL)
