Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma’s power-hitting left the Gujarat Titans (GT) stunned and propelled the Punjab Kings (PBKS) to achieve the highest successful chase in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. They beat the Shubhman Gill-led team by 3 wickets in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
Shashank showed nerves of steel, stealing the spotlight with his powerful batting at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Jitesh Sharma and Ashutosh played quick cameos to bring Punjab closer to the target. Despite the efforts of GT’s star spinners Noor Ahmad and Rashid Khan, Shashank’s composure under pressure ensured a brilliant victory for PBKS.
Chasing a daunting target of 200 runs, Jonny Bairstow began with a flurry of boundaries, smashing Azmatullah Omarzai for three fours in the very first over.
Umesh Yadav struck early for PBKS, dismissing Shikhar Dhawan for 1 run in his first over. Prabhsimran Singh, along with Bairstow, unleashed some big shots while maintaining a steady flow of singles.
Noor Ahmad halted Bairstow’s aggressive innings in the 6th over, removing him for 22 runs. He claimed his second wicket of the night in his next over, sending Prabhsimran back to the pavilion for 35 runs.
Shashank’s maiden IPL fifty came off 25 balls, keeping Punjab Kings in contention. Ashutosh, known for his impactful contributions, scored six off the first ball by Mohit Sharma but fell to Darshan Nalkande in the final over after scoring 31 runs.
In the last over, Punjab needed just 7 runs off 5 balls, and Shashank sealed the victory for PBKS by smashing the winning runs, securing a tense win by 3 wickets.
Following the win, the Punjab-based franchise stand in the fifth place of the IPL 2024 standings with four points. On the other hand, Gujarat hold the sixth place with 4 points.
Brief Score: Gujarat Titans 199/4 (Shubman Gill 89*, Sai Sudharsan 33; Kagiso Rabada 2-44) vs Punjab Kings 200/7 (Shashank Singh 61*, Ashutosh Sharma 3 Noor Ahmad 2-32).
