Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], May 4 : A four-wicket haul from Jason Holder and measured knocks from Sai Sudharsan and Washington Sundar helped Gujarat Titans (GT) beat Punjab Kings (PBKS) in a last-over thriller by four wickets at Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.
With this win, GT are at the sixth spot, with six wins and four losses, giving them 12 points. PBKS still stay at the top, with six wins, two losses and a no result, giving them 13 points.
GT opted to bowl first and it was a 79-run stand for the sixth wicket between Marcus Stoinis (40 in 31 balls, with five fours and a six) and Suryansh Shedge (57 in 29 balls, with three fours and five sixes) that took PBKS to 163/9 in 20 overs, with Holder (4/24) being an absolute trouble for PBKS batters.
Later in the chase, PBKS kept fighting, but knocks from Sai Sudharsan (57 in 41 balls, with five fours and a six) and Washington Sundar (40* in 23 balls, with five fours and a six) took GT to a win with one ball left.
During a run-chase of 164 runs, GT was off to a poor start as Shubman Gill (5) lost his wicket to Arshdeep Singh, giving a catch to Cooper Connolly. GT was 12/1 in 1.3 overs.
Jos Buttler and Sai Sudharsan started collecting some fours and sixes against pace, taking GT to the 50-run mark in 5.2 overs.
At the end of six overs, GT was 58/1, with Sudharsan (26*) and Buttler (21*) unbeaten.
The 57-run stand was finally broken, with Vijaykumar Vyshak getting Sudharsan (26 in 22 balls, with a four and two sixes). GT was 69/2 in 8.1 overs.
After 10 overs, GT was 78/2, with Sudharsan (35*) and Nishant Sindhu (5*) unbeaten.
Nishant could not leave a mark in his debut IPL match, dismissed by Marcus Stoinis for 15 in 11 balls, with a four and a six. GT was 94/3 in 11.2 overs.
GT reached the 100-run mark in 12.1 overs. In the 14th over, Sudharsan hit two boundaries off Yuzi Chahal, reaching his third fifty of the season in 37 balls, with five fours and a six.
Vyshak kept the fight going for PBKS, removing Sudharsan for a 41-ball 57, courtesy a fine catch from Bartlett at deep mid-wicket. GT was 124/4 in 14.5 overs.
The equation came down to 24 in the final three overs, as after two fours hit by Washington Sundar to Marco Jansen, the South African pacer ended the over by removing Rahul Tewatia (5). GT was 140/5 in 17 overs.
The equation came down to 17 in the final two overs. Arshdeep continued to test GT batters with his line and length and got the massive wicket of Jason Holder (5), courtesy a fine catch from Connolly. GT was 152/6 in 18.5 overs.
GT needed 11 heading into the final over, but a wide from Marcus Stoinis and a four brought down the deficit to six in five balls and eventually three in two balls, as Arshad Khan farmed strike. However, Washington finished off with a six, ending the innings at 167/6 in 19.5 overs, with Washington (40* in 23 balls, with five fours and a six) and Arshad (8*) unbeaten.
Arshdeep (2/24) and Vyshak (2/31) were the top bowlers for PBKS.
Earlier, the Gujarat Titans' (GT) pace trio of Jason Holder, Kagiso Rabada, and Mohammed Siraj shone against the table-toppers as the Subman Gill-led side restricted PBKS to 163/9 in 20 overs.
While Holder claimed four wickets, Rabada and Siraj picked up two each, and despite a 79-run partnership between Marcus Stoinis (40 in 31 balls, with five fours and a six) and Suryansh Shedge (57 in 29 balls, with three fours and five sixes), PBKS were restricted to their lowest first-innings total of the season.
Gujarat Titans skipper, Shubman Gill, won the toss and opted to bowl first. Pacer Mohammed Siraj proved Gill's decision right immediately as the Punjab Kings' innings got off to a disastrous start.
Mohammed Siraj (2/28 in 4 overs) produced a masterclass in the very first over. Siraj struck with his second delivery, dismissing Priyansh Arya (2), who sliced a ball straight to backward point. Before the Kings could catch their breath, Siraj struck again on the very next ball, as Cooper Connolly fell for a golden duck after an inside edge carried to the wicketkeeper.
Reduced to 2/2 within the first few minutes of the game, PBKS were immediately pushed into a defensive shell.
Captain Shreyas Iyer (19 off 21 balls) and Prabhsimran Singh (15 off 14 balls) attempted to steady the ship, navigating a tight spell from Kagiso Rabada (2/22 in 4 overs) and Siraj.
However, the pressure of the scoreboard told. Just as the pair looked to accelerate toward the end of the Powerplay, Rabada broke the 33-run stand in the sixth over, removing Prabhsimran Singh. PBKS languished at 35/3 after the Powerplay.
The introduction of Jason Holder only compounded Punjab's woes as they lost another wicket in the very next over after the Powerplay. Holder trapped Nehal Wadhera for a 6-ball duck, leaving the visitors in tatters at 36/4 in 6.3 overs.
Shreyas Iyer fought a lonely battle, scoring 19 off 21 balls, but his departure in the 9th over--falling to Jason Holder--all but seemed to end PBKS's hopes of a competitive total as PBKS lost half their side for just 51 overs after 10 overs.
By the end of the 12th over, the scorecard of Punjab's innings was 66/5 as they looked set for a sub-100 total on the board.
However, Shedge combined with Stoinis for a reviving 79-run stand off 44 balls. Shedge took the attack to GT's left-arm spinner, Manav Suthar, as he slammed him for three sixes and two boundaries in the 14th over. PBKS got 27 runs off Suthar's over as PBKS stood at 108/5 after 14 overs.
Shedge scored 57 off just 29 balls, a knock laced with five sixes and three boundaries. While Shedge's aggression briefly shifted the momentum and gave the Punjab dugout a glimmer of hope, his dismissal in the 16th over, to Kagiso Rabada, again balanced the scales as PBKS reached 126/6 in 16 overs.
Jason Holder further pushed PBKS back with a double-strike in the 18th over, dismissing Marcus Stoinis and Xavier Bartlett in back-to-back overs, reducing the opposition to 141/8 in 18 overs. Holder finished with outstanding figures of 4/24 in 4 overs.
Marco Jansen contributed with an 11-ball 20-run (with a four and six) innings as PBKS finished with 163/9 in 20 overs.
Brief Scores: PBKS: 163/9 (Suryansh Shedge 57, Marcus Stoinis 40, Jason Holder 4/24) lost to GT: 167/6 in 19.5 overs (Sai Sudharsan 57, Washington Sundar 40*, Arshdeep Singh 2/24).