Gujarat Titans (GT) were unstoppable on Thursday as they defeated Punjab Kings (PBKS) by a margin of six wickets with one ball to spare in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 contest played at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Ground in Mohali.
The victory took defending champions Gujarat Titans to the third spot in the points table as they now have six points from four matches with three wins and one defeat. At the same time, the Punjab Kings were placed at the sixth spot with four points in four matches, having lost two matches and two wins so far in IPL 2023.
After Punjab Kings managed a total of 153/8 in their 20 overs, Gujarat Titans were powered by a splendid half-century by their opening batsman Shubman Gill who scored 67 from 49 balls and turned out to be the top scoring batsman for his side.
On the other hand, opening batsman and wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha hit five fours to make 30 from 19 balls at the top of the order while site Sudarshan made 19 and Gujarat Titans Captain Hardik Pandya could manage only 8 from 11 balls.
It was Gujarat Titans who won the toss and invited Punjab Kings to bat first. The home team lost Prabhsimran Singh for a second ball duck and Shikhar Dhawan, their dependable captain also could not make a mark on this match as he was removed by Ireland fast bowler just little for it. Matthew Short made a good impression of himself, scoring 36 from 24 balls with six boundaries and a six whereas Bhanuka Rajapaksa mid-20 from 26 balls with one boundary.
Among the other batsmen, Jitesh Sharma made 25, Sam Curran score 22 and Shah Rukh Khan also got to a score of 22 towards the end of the Punjab innings who are struggling for momentum throughout their innings and could manage a modest total of 153/8, which proved to be too little against the firepower of Gujarat Titans.
The young Gujarat Titans and India opening batsman Shubman Gill anchored the chase for his side as he scored 67 from 49 balls with the help of seven boundaries and a six. On the other hand, Gujarat Titans are provided with a strong start by their wicket-keeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha who showed aggressive mood at the top of the order but the middle order could not contribute much in the success of their side.
Towards the end of the match, David Miller made 17 not out from 18 balls with the help of one boundary whereas finishing batsmen Rahul Tewatia hit a crucial boundary on the last ball of the match to win the game for his side.
Shikhar Dhawan’s Punjab Kings will get a break of one day in which they have to travel before the take on Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on the other hand, Gujarat Titans will return to their home ground at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad to face Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Sunday evening.
