On Thursday, April 13, the Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans defeated the Punjab Kings by six wickets at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali. The Titans appeared to have resumed normal operations after a brief hiccup against the Kolkata Knight Riders.
Hardik, who was absent from the match against Kolkata Knight Riders, returned to command his team and, after a fortunate coin flip, asked Shikhar Dhawan to score. Frontal damage immediately put the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in a difficult position.
Prabhsimran Singh, who has been quite impressive thus far in the ongoing IPL, was dismissed for a rare duck, and he was shortly followed by captain Shikhar Dhawan, who was dismissed for an individual score of 8.
Middle order and lower middle order batters of PBKS received starts, but none of them were able to capitalize, which cost the home team dearly as they were behind the eight ball from the start. PBKS could only muster 153 runs after losing eight wickets.
For the defending champions, Shubman Gill batted well and scored the game-winning fifty during the pursuit. JioCinema IPL expert Aakash Chopra was entertained by Gill’s batting performance and lauded the youngster after the match.
“You’ll observe nothing but cricket strikes from him. Without a doubt, the pitch was impressive. You are not seeking a sizable sum, that is also true. Whenever you see him, you believe that being technically proficient will also benefit you in T20 cricket. It is liberating. Instead of confining you, it grants you freedom. Chopra stated on JioCinema, “You can succeed by playing flawless cricket; we’ve seen this from Virat Kohli, and now we’re seeing it from him as well.”
Gill excelled with the bat during the chase, but pacer Mohit Sharma, who replaced Yash Dayal in the Titans’ starting lineup, established the groundwork for the victory. Mohit bowled with great control, allowing only 18 runs in four overs while also taking a wicket. Anil Kumble appeared to be quite impressed with the pacer and praised his control.
“He was organized. He has sufficient variation within four overs, and he was outstanding. After the last game, in which they needed an experienced bowler to bowl at the end, they realized that Mohit Sharma was the man for the job. It’s great to see him win Man of the Match,” Kumble stated on JioCinema.
Mohit Sharma received the Player of the Match award after the game ended in GT’s favor, which surprised many, including Aakash Chopra, who suggested Gill should have received the honor.
“Had I the authority to determine the Player of the Game, I would have selected Shubman Gill. He is the only individual to reach the age of fifty. No matter how much we talk about how flat the pitch was, neither 200 runs were scored nor were 150 runs readily chased down.
“If the match result indicates that the bowlers relished themselves more than the batters, our perception is irrelevant. The match was contested by both teams, but only one player reached fifty; therefore, he should be named “Man of the Match.”
