Brilliant 96-run knock by Shubman Gill and quick 13 runs by Rahul Tewatia guided Gujarat Titans to a victory by 6 wickets in a last-over thriller against Punjab Kings at the Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai on Friday.
Chasing 190, Gujarat had a great start as the openers scored 24 runs in two overs. Both the openers Matthew Wade and Shubman Gill stitched 32 runs partnership. PBKS skipper Mayank Agarwal introduced Kagiso Rabada into the attack and he gave his team a big wicket as he dismissed Matthew Wade with just 32 runs on board. Sai Sudharsan joined Gill on the crease to keep the scoreboard moving. The duo took their team’s total beyond the 50-run mark in the sixth over. Gill batted aggressively and notched up his half-century off 29 deliveries, which put Punjab under heavy pressure.
Sudharsan and Gill stitched a brilliant partnership and provided Gujarat with great momentum. The duo kept on hitting boundaries and sixes to take Gujarat’s total beyond the triple-figure mark. Gill anchored the innings and kept on thrashing Punjab bowlers at regular intervals.
After 14th over Gujarat’s read 128/1. Punjab Kings finally took a sigh of relief when Rahul Chahar dismissed Sai Sudharsan with the team’s total at 133/2 in the 15th over. Skipper Hardik Pandya then joined hands with Shubman Gill to keep the scoreboard moving.
The 17th over of the innings proved to be a game-changer for Gujarat as both batters kept on hitting runs. Gujarat Titans needed 37 runs in 18 balls to win with eight wickets in their hands. Punjab finally took a sigh of relief when Kagiso Rabada dismissed Shubman Gill, who got caught by Mayank, after scoring 96 runs, with the team’s total at 170/3.
GT skipper Hardik Pandya fell prey to run out after scoring 27 runs in 18 balls. Rahul Tewatia then joined David Miller in the hope to take them to victory in four balls. Needing 12 runs in two balls, Rahul Tewatia smashed the last two balls of the innings in the stands and took his side to the victory by 6 wickets.
Earlier Liam Livingstone’s 64-run knock off 27 balls, provided Punjab Kings with a respectable total of 189 even after a back-to-back loss of wickets.
Brief scores: Punjab Kings 189/9 (Liam Livingstone 64, Shikhar Dhawan 35; Rashid Khan 3/22) vs Gujarat Titans 190/4 (Shubman Gill 96, Sai Sudharsan 35; Kagiso Rabada 2-35)