Magazine : 
TATA IPL 2024: Shashank, Ashutosh Lead Punjab to Thrilling Victory Over Gujarat
In a home clash, Gujarat Titans faced off against Punjab Kings for their fourth match, with Punjab winning the toss and opting to bowl first. Despite a promising start for Gujarat, reaching 29 runs in 2.5 overs, opener Wriddhiman Saha was dismissed on the subsequent ball by Kagiso Rabada, marking Rabada's 5th wicket of the tournament as Shikhar Dhawan secured the catch.
The wicket brought Kane Williamson to the crease. This was Kane’s first match in IPL 2024. By the time the first Power Play was over, GT scored 52/1. Kane, along with skipper Shubman Gill, started scoring pretty comfortably. In the first 8 overs, Dhawan used five bowlers—Rabada, Sam Curran, Arshdeep Singh, Harpreet Brar, and Harshal Patel.
Harpreet Brar claimed the wicket of Williamson with Jonny Bairstow making the catch at point. Following Williamson's dismissal, Sai Sudharsan swiftly took control, smashing a boundary in only his second delivery faced. Sudharsan's aggressive batting led to a 53-run partnership with Gill before he was dismissed for 33 runs off 19 balls by Harshal Patel, with Jitesh Sharma completing the catch.
Vijay Shankar's innings was brief as he departed swiftly, while Rahul Tewatia's explosive performance saw him hit three boundaries and a six, accumulating 23 runs off just 8 balls. Captain Gill anchored the innings, remaining unbeaten on 89 runs off 48 deliveries, setting the highest individual score of the IPL season thus far, surpassing KKR's Sunil Narine, who scored 85 off 39 balls the previous evening. Gujarat Titans concluded their innings with a total of 199 runs on the board.
Punjab had a lackluster start as Shikhar was out on the second ball he faced. The PBKS skipper played onto his stumps, and it was 13/1 in 1.1 overs. His opening partner, Jonny Bairstow, took on the bowler from the outset. He scored 13 runs in the first over, bowled by Azmatullah Omarzai. Bairstow formed a 35-run partnership with Prabhsimran Singh before Noor Ahmad castled him. He was out for 22 off 13 balls. Punjab was 48/2 when Sam Curran, Punjab’s hero in the match against Delhi Capitals (DC), came to bat. At the end of the first Power Play, PBKS were 54/2.
Mohit Sharma took a simple catch to dismiss Prabhsimran Singh off Noor’s bowling. He scored 35 off 24 balls to give PBKS a push in the chase. Sam Curran was quick to follow Singh. He was out for 5 off 8 balls. Sikandar Raza and Shashank Singh continued the chase for Punjab. In the 11th over, Umesh Yadav went for 17 runs, and PBKS reached 100/4. Then, Mohit claimed his 7th wicket and claimed the top spot among the leading wicket-takers, beating Mustafizur Rahman.
Raza's dismissal came early, followed by a partnership between Shashank and Jitesh Sharma, who contributed 16 runs off 8 balls, bringing Punjab's score to 150/6 in 15.3 overs. Ashutosh Sharma, identified as an Impact Player, nearly clinched victory for PBKS with his 31 off 17 balls. However, after his departure, Punjab required 7 runs from 5 balls. A fortunate boundary from Shashank's thick edge and the final run from a Leg Bye sealed the victory. Shashank's unbeaten 61 off 29 deliveries earned him the Player of the Match award. With their second win in four matches, Punjab Kings ascended to fifth position on the points table.
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