Indian Premier League (IPL) defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) bounced back after a narrow loss to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) with another close match which ended in victory for the Titans in Mohali on Thursday, April 13. GT were bolstered with the return of their regular skipper Hardik Pandya for the clash against the Punjab Kings (PBKS). The star Indian all-rounder was seen sharing a touching moment with his counterpart during the toss, greeting Shikhar Dhawan with a kiss on his cheek.
Hardik Pandya missed the thrilling match against KKR but returned against Shikhar Dhawan's Punjab in Mohali. Dhawan, the current leading run-scorer in IPL 2023, was embraced in a hug by Hardik and also received a kiss on his cheek during the toss.
Meanwhile, GT went on to win by six wickets with one ball to spare in what was yet another dramatic finish in this season's IPL. Chasing 154 for the win, the Titans started brightly with their openers Shubman Gill and Wriddhiman Saha firing from both ends. of the pitch. But soon, Kagiso Rabada got the wicket of Saha in his first over of the season, and in doing so, became the fastest to 100 IPL wickets breaking former Mumbai Indians (MI) pacer Lasith Malinga's record.
Gill kept going despite the falling of regular wickets. Sai Sudharsan (19) and Hardik Pandya (8) faltered but the in end, David Miller and Rahul Tewatia dragged the match back for their side and secured the victory in the last over, which was bowled by the most expensive player in history of the IPL, which was Sam Curran.
Earlier, after early scalps saw Punjab Kings' Prabhsimran Singh and Shikhar Dhawan return to the pavilion for just 8 runs between them, the GT bowlers must have thought that their side was in for a treat. However, Matthew Short's 24-ball 36 kept the innings alive as the middle order ensured a calm and collected end to their innings with a total of 154 runs that they almost defended.
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