Home
On the back of Shashank Singh's stunning pyrotechnics under pressure, the Punjab Kings (PBKS) drafted Gujarat Titans (GT) by three wickets in the Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on April 4 (Thursday). Shashank buried the controversy that transpired during the mini-auction in December last year when it came to the light that Panjab Kings had mistakenly bought him.
Shashank Singh proves his mettle
Chasing a target of 200 runs, the Punjab Kings required a solid start from their top-order batters but it didn't happen. Umesh Yadav cleaned up Shikhar Dhawan for just one run. Prabhsimran Singh came out firing on all cylinders and raced to 35 runs off 24 balls with the help of five fours and a six. Jonny Bairstow added 22 runs off 13 balls before Noor Ahmad bamboozled the England batter with a superb delivery. Noor then dismissed Prabhsimran while Sam Curran (5) and Sikandar Raza (15) failed to make any significant impact.
When Shashank Singh walked out to bat, he took the attack to the GT bowlers straightaway and brought the PBKS back into the contest. The right-handed batter found the boundaries at regular intervals and raced to a half-century in no time. Jitesh Sharma smashed two sixes in his innings of 16 runs off eight balls before getting dismissed on a full toss from Rashid Khan.
Ashutosh Sharma, who walked out as the Impact Sub, made a massive impact after joining forces with Shashank. Ashutosh and Shashank registered a 43-run alliance in 22 balls for the seventh wicket that took the Kings to the cusp of victory. Ashutosh departed after scoring 31 runs off 17 balls with the help of three fours and a six. Needing seven runs off the last over, Punjab lost Ashutosh on the first ball but Shashank finished the game and took his team to the promised land.
Shashank found the boundary on the fourth ball of the over before running a leg bye on the next delivery to secure a win for the Kings. In the end, the right-handed batter remained unbeaten on 61 runs off 29 balls with the help of six fours and four sixes.
For GT, Noor Ahmad bagged two wickets while all the other bowlers bagged at least a wicket each.
Shubman Gill leads GT's charge with the bat
After being asked to bat first, Gujarat Titans was led by their skipper Shubman Gill, who batter right through the innings and propelled his team to a score of 199/4 in 20 overs. Gill registered small partnerships with every batter and kept the scoreboard ticking at a decent clip before accelerating at the end. In the end, Gill remained unbeaten on 89 runs off 48 balls with the help of six fours and four sixes.
Kane Williamson, who was playing his first match of the season, scored 26 runs off 22 balls with the help of four fours. Sai Sudharsan looked in ominous touch with the bat and scored runs at a rapid pace in the middle overs. The talented left-handed batter scored 33 runs off 19 balls with the help of six fours.
Rahul Tewatia once again justified the tag of a finisher and smashed three fours and a six in his 23-run cameo off eight balls. '
For the Punjab Kings, Kagiso Rabada bagged two wickets but conceded 44 runs in his four overs. Harpreet Brar and Harshal Patel chipped in with a wicket each.
MORE ON SPORTS TAK:
