The Gujarat Titans vs Punjab Kings was probably the clash fans were waiting for. Although the season had seen some good games, this was even better. It had all the ingredients of a slow burner. The game just ebbed and flowed and then Arshdeep Singh bowled a brilliant 18th over. It was looking like Shubman Gill’s 96 would go in vain as if he missing out on a century wasn’t enough! And then it didn’t as Rahul Tewatia slammed two sixes off the last two balls to seal the deal. You see, anything is possible in IPL! We take a look at the five talking points.
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Tewatia Pulls Off a Heist! Rahul Tewatia usually doesn’t click, but when he does he will take your breath away. It’s been a while since he played that blinder at Sharjah and his fans were looking for a bit more consistency from the 28-year-old. He had shown some glimpse of that against LSG in the opener where he stayed till the end and sealed the deal for Gujarat. He did the same on Friday, but it was a complete contrast! With 17 off 4 needed, Miller hit a four and took a single only for Tewatia to take center stage. With 12 needed off 2, He found maximums in exact carbon copy shots; he moved across and hit it over long on. The match of the season was sealed in an emphatic manner. Pure swag.
Shubman Gill, Master of Timing: As Shubman Gill walked in, he knew the chase will be difficult. But no one knew he will make it look so easy. Boundaries after boundaries kept flowing and by the end of the fourth over, he himself had slammed five boundaries alone. For the most part of the innings, he looked like a monk, playing all ground shots and timing them at will. It was a pity that he had to miss out on a century as the pressure got to him. Earlier he had reverse swept Rahul Chahar, that was the only time he played a loose shot in the entire innings.
Sudharshan, Another Debutante Shows Promise: The 20-year-old Tamil Nadu batter made the most of his opportunity and showed confidence while playing international bowlers like Kagiso Rabada. He, just like Gill, never took risk and kept on finding the gaps. This showed that he too is a master timer of the ball. He got out after scoring 35 off 30 balls, playing the perfect foil to Gill. By then these two had stitched a hundred run stand and almost batted Punjab out of the game.
Rahul Chahar Cameo: Punjab Kings looked down and out at one stage as they were reduced to 156/8 with more than three overs to go despite Livingstone fifty. It was a case of irresponsible batting as the likes of Jitesh Sharma, Odean Smith and Shahrukh Khan got out From this point on, a young Rahul Chahar showed gumption and slammed a quick-fire 22 off 14 which helped Punjab post a stiff total of 189/9. Unfortunately, it went in vain.
Livingstone Picks Up From Last Game: After slamming 60 off 42 balls against CSK, England all-rounder Liam Livingstone, this IPL’s costliest foreign player, made full use of a lucky reprieve to smash a second consecutive half-century and help Punjab Kings post 189 for 9. He smashed 64 off just 27 balls to score the bulk of the runs for Punjab Kings after being asked to bat first. Livingstone shared 52 runs for the third wicket with opener Shikhar Dhawan (35) to revive the Punjab innings after they were 43 for 2 after the powerplay.
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