Dhawan, Rajapaksa and Livingstone assist Punjab ace the chase after it restricts Gujarat to 143; Sai Sudharsan shines
Dhawan, Rajapaksa and Livingstone assist Punjab ace the chase after it restricts Gujarat to 143; Sai Sudharsan shines
Gujarat Titans received the toss towards Punjab Kings and determined to bat first — turning into the primary group to take action in an evening recreation on this version of the Indian Premier League. However the transfer didn’t repay as Punjab Kings rode on Kagiso Rabada’s 4 for 33 and Shikhar Dhawan’s unbeaten 62 (53b, 8×4, 1×6) to beat Titans by eight wickets on the D.Y. Patil Stadium on Tuesday.
After Rabada restricted Titans to 143 for eight, regardless of an unbeaten 65 by B. Sai Sudharsan, Punjab Kings misplaced its opener Jonny Bairstow early.
Kagiso Rabada struck 4 occasions to peg again Titans.
| Picture Credit score: PTI
However Dhawan stepped up and cast an 87-run stand with Sri Lankan Bhanuka Rajapaksa (40, 28b, 5×4, 1×6) for the second wicket to make sure that there was no slip-up.
Whereas Dhawan, who scored his third half-century of the season, began cautiously, Rajapaksa appeared aggressive — hitting Mohammed Shami for a few fours within the third over. Dhawan, too, joined with a six and a 4 off Alzarri Joseph within the subsequent over.
B. Sai Sudharsan’s half-century was the lone shiny spot for Titans.
| Picture Credit score: Sportzpics/IPL
As Lockie Ferguson bowled the twelfth over, Dhawan introduced up his forty seventh IPL half-century. Two deliveries later, Rajapaksa despatched Ferguson for a six, however was trapped leg earlier than off the subsequent ball. By then, Kings wanted solely 47 runs from 48 deliveries and with Dhawan and Liam Livingstone (30 n.o., 10b, 2×4, 3×6) round. Livingstone picked up 28 runs within the sixteenth over bowled by Shami to make sure Kings romped dwelling with 24 balls to spare.
Earlier, with a spot within the playoffs virtually assured, Titans determined to defend a complete. However that plan didn’t yield the specified consequence because the facet was reeling at 46 for 3 in seven overs, shedding openers Wriddhiman Saha, Shubman Gill and captain Hardik Pandya.
Sudharsan placed on a 23-run stand with big-hitter David Miller, however that was not sufficient as Rabada caught the South African batter at long-off, off Livingstone.
That includes in his fourth IPL recreation of the season, the Chennai-based Sudharsan added one other 45 runs with Rahul Tewatia for the fifth wicket earlier than Rabada tempted the latter to supply a catch to Sandeep Sharma at brief third-man. Regardless that Sudharsan scored his first half-century of the match, it wasn’t sufficient.
