Finance
Sai Kishore, a left-arm spinner, bowled an outstanding four-fer as Gujarat Titans caught Punjab Kings in a spin web and strangled their batters en route to a comfortable three-wicket victory in Match 37 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium here on Sunday.
After stand-in skipper Sam Curran won the toss, Punjab Kings got an excellent start, reaching fifty in the Power-play before Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill unleashed his spinners. On a ground that has been used more than once this season, the Gujarat spinners used the sluggish turn and low bounce to great advantage, destroying the PBKS top and middle orders to reduce them to 99/7 in the 16th over.
Punjab Kings were eventually bowled out for 142 in 20 overs, and Gujarat Titans overcame some early setbacks to reach 146/7 in 19.1 overs and win with five balls to spare thanks to a blinder of an innings by Rahul Tewatia, 36 not out off 18 balls, and patient knocks by skipper Gill (35) and Sai Sudharsan (31). Harshal Patel (3-15) and Liam Livingstone (2-19) combined for five wickets to provide some stumbling blocks, but GT finally recovered.
GT gained eight points with the win, moving them to sixth place on the points table, following Lucknow Super Giants and Chennai Super Kings due to their lower net run rate. All three teams have eight points. PBKS remained in the 9th spot with four points from eight matches.
It was Sai Kishore who made the win possible with sensational figures of 4-33 off four overs while Afghan left-arm wrist spinner Noor Ahmad claimed 2-20 and his senior colleague Rashid Khan bagged 1-15 as Punjab Kings landed in a spin web and never recovered.
After Azmatullah Omarzai, who came in for Spencer Johnson, bowled a two-run opening over, Prabhsimran hammered 21 runs off Sandeep Warrier’s first over, hitting him for three fours and a six off a waist-high no-ball.
With Stand-in skipper Sam Curran also hitting a couple of boundaries, PBKS raced to fifty in the sixth over. However, Prabhsimran’s promising knock was cut short as he jumped out to fullish ball outside off and edged back to the keeper. PBKS ended the Power-play at 56/1.
Rilee Rossouw (9), Sam Curran, Jitesh Sharma (13), Liam Livingstone (6), Shashank Singh (8) and Ashutosh Sharma (3) fell in quick succession as PBKS slumped to 99/7 in the 16th overs as Noor Ahmad, Rashid Khan and Sai Kishore spun a web around the batters, leaving them tottering.
Sai Kishore was struck for a six by Jitesh Sharma off his first ball, jumping out to club him over long-off. The 27-year-old left-arm spinner cut down on pace and dragged his length back and got success a couple of balls later when he deceived Jitesh Sharma with a delivery that turned across and went under the bat to disturb the furniture.
Though a vociferous appeal for LBW against Ashutosh Sharma was rejected by the on-field umpire as well as on review as the ball was sliding down the leg side, Sai Kishore got his man in the same 14th over when Ashutosh Sharma holed out to deep extra cover for three runs. In his next over, Sai Kishore had his third wicket when he accounted for the dangerous Shashank Singh, catching him off his own bowling, sending down a flat length ball and beating an on-rushing batter with a slower pace. Shashank, the best batter for PBKS so far, was out for eight off 12 balls and PBKS was tottering at 99/7 in the 16th over.
Harpreet Brar blasted him for a couple of fours and a six into the sightscreen, but Sai Kishore got the final laugh when Shahrukh Khan caught Brar inches inside the boundary rope with an overpitched delivery.
Later, Rahul Tewatia delivered a blazing cameo, scoring an unbeaten 36 off 18 balls as the Gujarat Titans overcame a few nervous moments to win comfortably. Tewatia came in to bat with the Titans 97/4, chasing a modest goal of 143, and flicked, reverse-swept, and played some wonderful strokes to accelerate to 36 off 18 balls, building on patient knocks from Shubman Gill (35) and Sai Sudharsan (31) as they secured their fourth win of the season.
Chasing a modest target, the Titans got off to a poor start as Wriddhiman Saha fell for 13 (11 balls) with the team score reading 25 within the Power-play. Saha pulled Arshdeep Singh straight to Ashutosh Sharma as he was out after hitting a boundary during his brief stay. Titans skipper Gill and Sudharsan cautiously negotiated the Power-play and raised 41 runs for the second wicket partnership. Gill (35) swatted and flicked off his pads Kagiso Rabada for successive fours in the third over and also hammered a boundary each off Harshal Patel and Sam Curran during his vital knock.
The Gujarat skipper also crunched England spinner Liam Livingstone for a four in the eighth over before he was for 35 off 29 balls, jumping out to loft a delivery that was slower than expected and handed a comfortable catch to Rabada.
A couple of overs later, Livingstone struck another blow, castling David Miller with a tossed-up delivery that skidded past the big swing by Miller and crashed into the stumps. Gujarat Titans slumped from 66/1 to 77/3.
Sai Sudharsan (31 off 34), who lashed Arshdeep past backward point for a four on the first ball he faced, continued to score runs from the other end, largely in singles. He paddle-swept Harpreet Brar for a four and flicked Sam Curran beyond fine leg when the skipper slipped from the line.
But Curran had his man when Gujarat’s Sai Sudharsan chopped onto his stumps for 97/4. Azmatullah Omarzai, who scored the first six runs of Gujarat’s innings as late as the 13th over, was dismissed for 13, but Rahul Tewatia led Gujarat Titans to victory with an unbeaten 36 off 18 balls, despite Harshal Patel taking two late wickets, Shahrukh Khan (8) and Rashid Khan (3).
Tewatia hammered seven fours in his 18-ball knock, including three boundaries, two of which came off Rabada in the 18th over, which cost PBKS 20 runs. Prior to it, he reverse-swept and hoicked Harpreet Brar to the boundary in the previous over, helping Gujarat recover from a bad situation and cruise to a comfortable win.
Brief scores:
Punjab Kings 142 all out in 20 overs (Prabhsimran Singh 35, Harpreet Brar 29; Sai Kishore 4-33, Noor Ahmad 2-20, Mohit Sharma 2-32) lost to Gujarat Titans 146/7 in 19.1 overs (Rahul Tewatia 36 not out, Shubman Gill 35; Harshal Patel 3-15, Liam Livingstone 2-19) by three wickets.
Source:IANS
