Gujarat Titans (GT) continued their unbeaten run in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) as they defeated Punjab Kings (PBKS) by six wickets in a thrilling encounter at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Friday (April 8).
Asked to bat first, PBKS posted a massive 189/9 in their 20 overs on the back of Liam Livingstone’s 27-ball 64. Shikhar Dhawan (35 off 30 balls), Jitesh Sharma (23 off 11 balls), and Rahul Chahar (22* off 14 balls) also made notable contributions with the bat.
Rashid Khan was the stand-out bowler for the Titans, claiming three wickets by conceding 22 runs in his four overs.
In reply, GT lost Matthew Wade (6) cheaply but the duo of Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan added 101 runs for the second wicket to keep the team in the chase. Rahul Chahar broke the partnership by removing Sudharsan on 35.
However, Gill held the one end firmly and notched up his half-century off 29 balls. The right-handed opener continued his brilliance after the milestone and put on 37 runs for the third wicket with skipper Hardik Pandya.
Gill got out in the penultimate over for 96 off 59 balls (11 fours and 1 six) with the team needing 19 runs off the last over. Hardik too got run-out in the very first delivery of the final over, which led to Rahul Tewatia’s arrival in the middle.
Tewatia turned back the clock and once again pulled off a heroic in the last over. With 12 needing off the last two deliveries, the southpaw hit Odean Smith for a couple of sixes to seal the deal. While Tewatia remained unbeaten on 3-ball 13, David Miller returned with 6 not out off 4 balls.
Cricket experts on Twitter lauded Shubman Gill for his classy knock and reserved special praise for the ultimate finisher Rahul Tewatia.
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