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Gujarat Titans Edge Past Punjab Kings in IPL Nail-biter

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…reports Asian Lite News

Left-arm spinner Sai Kishore came up with an outstanding bowling effort to claim a four-fer as Gujarat Titans caught Punjab Kings in a spin web and strangled their batters on their way to a comfortable three-wicket victory in Match 37 of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium here on Sunday.

Electing to bat first after stand-in skipper Sam Curran had won the toss, Punjab Kings made a super start, reaching fifty in the Power-play before Gujarat Titans skipper Shubman Gill unleashed his spinners. On a pitch that has been used more than once this season, the Gujarat spinners used the slow turn and low bounce to great effect as they destroyed 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 survived some anxious moments before riding on 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) to reach 146/7 in 19.1 overs and win the match with five balls to spare. Harshal Patel claimed 3-15 and Liam Livingstone (2-19) shared five wickets between them to create some stumbling blocks but GT eventually managed to survive the hiccups.

The win took GT to eight points as they moved to the sixth spot on the points table, trailing Lucknow Super Giants and Chennai Super Kings on inferior net run rate. All three teams are on 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 hit him for a couple of fours and a six into the sightscreen, Sai Kishore had the last laugh as Brar was caught by Shahrukh Khan inches inside the boundary rope off an overpitched delivery.

Later, Rahul Tewatia played a blazing cameo, hitting an unbeaten 36 off 18 balls as Gujarat Titans survived a few anxious moments to score a comfortable victory. Tewatia came in to bat with the Titans 97/4 chasing a modest target of 143 and flicked, reverse-swept and played some fine shots to race to 36 off 18 balls as he built on a patient knocks by 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 by lashing Arshdeep through backward point for a four off the first ball he faced, kept going from the other end as he scored runs mostly in singles. He paddle swept Harpreet Brar for a four and flicked Sam Curran past fine leg when the skipper strayed off the line.

But Curran had his man when Sai Sudharsan chopped onto his stumps with Gujarat 97/4. Azmatullah Omarzai, who blasted the first six of Gujarat’s innings as late as the 13th over in scoring, fell cheaply for 13 but Rahul Tewatia guided Gujarat Titans to victory with an unbeaten 36 off 18 balls despite Harshal Patel claiming two late wickets by dismissing Shahrukh Khan (8) and Rashid Khan (3).

Tewatia blasted seven fours during his 18-ball knock, hitting three boundaries, two of them back-to-back off Rabada in the 18th over — the over cost PBKS 20 runs. Before that, he reverse-swept and hoicked Harpreet Brar to the boundary in the previous over as Gujarat recovered from a difficult situation and sauntered to a comfortable victory.

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.

ALSO READ-CSK Crushes Gujarat Titans in IPL Stunner

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Jadeja’s Heroics Give CSK IPL Glory

With this thrilling win, the MS Dhoni-led CSK has now equalled Mumbai Indians’ record for most (five) IPL titles…reports Asian Lite News

Star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja smashed a six and four in the last two balls and along with vital contributions from other batters helped Chennai Super Kings beat Gujarat Titans by five wickets (via DLS method) in the rain-affected rescheduled final of the 2023 season to clinch a record-equalling fifth Indian Premier League title at the Narendra Modi Stadium, here on Monday night.

With this thrilling win, the MS Dhoni-led CSK has now equalled Mumbai Indians’ record for most (five) IPL titles. The 41-year-old Dhoni also became the joint-most successful captain (titles in 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021, 2023) in tournament history along with Rohit Sharma (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022).

A sensational quick-fire fifty from Sai Sudharsan (96 off 41) along with Wriddhiman Saha’s vital half-century (54 off 39) powered Gujarat Titans to 214/4 in 20 overs.

Sudharsan looked flawless throughout his innings and played some breathtaking shots against an indisciplined bowling line-up. Apart from Sudharsan and Saha, the likes of Shubman Gill (39 off 20) and Hardik Pandya (21 off 12) also made vital contributions with the bat.

Chasing a mammoth target, CSK scored four runs in the first three balls of the innings with openers Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway at the crease before rain intervened and stopped the play. When the play resumed at 12:10 am after a long delay due to a wet outfield, the revised target for CSK was to chase 171 runs in 15 overs.

Both Conway and Gaikwad came with an attacking mindset and gave CSK a flying start. They played some beautiful shots and hammered Md Shami, Hardik Pandya and even Rashid Khan and took CSK to 52/0 in the revised four-over Power-play.

Gujarat Titans badly needed a wicket and left-armer spinner Noor Ahmed gave them the crucial breakthrough by removing Gaikwad (26 off 16). Not only Gaikwad, but the young Afghan spinner also got rid of the dangerous-looking Conway to put CSK on the back foot.

Two new batters — Impact Substitute Shivam Dube and Ajinkya Rahane — were at the crease and had a massive task ahead of them. As has been the case with Rahane this season, he once again showed his class and played some exquisite strokes to give the much-needed impetus to CSK innings.

Though Dube was struggling to get his timing right, Rahane was in fine touch and took CSK to 112 for 2 in 10 overs. Just when it looked like CSK were cruising towards the target, veteran Mohit Sharma bowled with a great change of pace to pile up the pressure of dots and singles to eventually lure Rahane (27 off 13 balls)

The see-saw battle continued as Dube finished off Rashid’s over with two successive sixes, leaving the four-time champions to chase 38 runs off the last 18 balls. Thereafter, Ambati Rayudu, who was playing his last IPL game, went on to hit 6, 4, 6 against Mohit to dwarf the target, but he got out of the next ball.

Dhoni walked in to bat with 22 needed off 14 and he had the chance to pull off the perfect ending but it wasn’t to be as the CSK skipper hit the ball straight to cover for a first-ball duck. Shami then bowled a fine penultimate over to leave Mohit to defend 13 in six balls as Dube and Jadeja were not able to find boundaries.

Ahmedabad, May 30 (ANI): Chennai Super Kings’ skipper MS Dhoni lifts Ravindra Jadeja in celebration after winning the final match of Indian Premier League 2023 as CSK beat Gujarat Titans by 5 wickets, at Narendra Modi Stadium, in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. (ANI Photo/ Digital Restriction)

Mohit Sharma bowled excellent yorkers and gave just three runs in the first four balls. But Jadeja had other plans and he hit a six and four in the last two balls to give CSK a thrilling five-wicket win and record fifth title.

Earlier, asked to bat first, openers Gill and Saha were a bit cautious in their approach in the first two overs against Deepak Chahar and Tushar Deshpande and were helped by some sloppy fielding as well.

In the second over of the innings bowled by Deshpande, CSK skipper M.S. Dhoni placed Deepak Chahar at backward square and Gill hit the ball exactly there but the pacer couldn’t catch it, which changed the momentum in Gujarat’s favour.

From there on, both Chahar and Deshpande were taken on by Gill and Saha. Even spinner Maheesh Theeksana, who came to bowl the sixth over, was treated severely as Gujarat Titans raced to 62/0 at the end of the Power-play.

It was Ravindra Jadeja who gave CSK their first breakthrough by removing the dangerous Gill, courtesy of a typically quick and incredible glovework from Dhoni. Gill dragged his back leg out and with the speed at which Dhoni operates, there was just no time for the batter to even consider getting back into the crease.

After Gill’s wicket, things slowed down a bit for the Gujarat batters — Saha and Sai Sudharsan. The CSK spinners, Jadeja and Theeksana, were getting some assistance from the pitch as the Titans reached 86/1 at the halfway mark.

With 10 overs to go and nine wickets in hand, Sai and Saha decided to up the ante, scoring 23 in the next two overs off Jadeja and Matheesha Pathirana, giving some impetus to Titans’s innings. Saha, who came to open the innings and looked confident from the beginning, hit a Jadeja delivery between short third and backward point to score his fifty off 36 balls.

Things were going quite well for Gujarat and Dhoni brought Deepak Chahar into the attack. The pacer, who didn’t have a great night in the field, got Saha to top-edge a pull and Dhoni took a simple catch, leaving Gujarat at 131/2 after 14 overs.

Sai Sudharsan was a touch slow through the lull in the middle overs but then decided to tee off. The left-handed batter had skipper Hardik Pandya at the other end but he took the mantle of scoring runs at a high pace. Some poor bowling from Theekshana and Pathirana also helped his cause as Sudharsan raced away to fifty off 32 balls.

After reaching his half-century, Sudharsan became even more aggressive and clobbered Deshpande for 20 runs in an over, with the help of one six and three fours. Gujarat were 173/2 in 17 overs and looked all set to get a big total on the board.

The next over bowled by Pathirana gave Gujarat just nine runs but Tushar Deshpande was taken to the cleaners by Pandya and Sai Sudharsan for 18 runs as nothing was going well for CSK bowlers against a formidable Titans batting line-up.

Pathirana came to bowl the last over and he was welcomed by sixes in the first two balls. However, the Sri Lankan pacer had the last laugh as he trapped Sudharsan in front of the wicket, ending the left-hander’s batting carnage and denying him the chance to score his maiden IPL century.

In the next three balls, Pathirana gave just two runs and also removed Rashid Khan as Gujarat Titans finished with 214/4 on the board.

Brief scores:

Gujarat Titans 214/4 in 20 overs (Sai Sudharsan 96, Wriddhiman Saha 54; Matheesha Pathirana 2-44) Chennai Super Kings 171/5 in 15 overs (revised target) (Devon Conway 47, Ajinkya Rahane 27, Shivam Dube 32 not out, Ravindra Jadeja 15 not out; Mohit Sharma 3-36, Noor Ahmad 2-17) by five wickets via DLS method.

ALSO READ: Rain pushes CSK vs GT final to reserve day

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Four times champions CSK vs Defending champions Titans

Interestingly both these sides had kicked off the season at the same venue, so IPL 2023 has come full circle….reports Asian Lite News

In a battle between mentor Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his protege Hardik Pandya, the four times champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will lock horns with defending champions Gujarat Titans in the all-important final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 at Narendra Modi Stadium, here on Sunday.

Interestingly both these sides — CSK and GT — had kicked off the season at the same venue, so IPL 2023 has come full circle.

The Titans had beaten CSK in the opening game. However, earlier this week, CSK levelled the score with a comprehensive win in Qualifier 1 in Chennai. And now, it’s time for the final showdown between the two teams, which are built around the same philosophy.

If one observes closely, both these teams keep things simple, back their players, and create a relaxed team environment. Even Hardik Pandya has praised the CSK team environment recently but on the field, he will look to trump Dhoni.

Pandya has always said he has learnt a lot, not just about cricket but also life, from Dhoni and there is a brotherly relationship and mutual admiration between the two. After losing Qualifier 1 to CSK, Pandya lauded Dhoni’s captaincy.

“That’s the beauty about Dhoni. With his mind and the way he uses the bowlers, it fee’s like he’s adding 10 runs. We kept losing wickets, he kept changing the bowlers, credit to him. Would be nice to meet him on Sunday,” Pandya had said after the game.

Sunday’s game will be Dhoni’s 11th IPL final (his tenth with CSK) and no player has featured in more summit clashes. On the other hand, Pandya has been a part of five finals before 2023, with an amazing record of winning on all occasions (four with Mumbai Indians and one with Gujarat Titans)

Meanwhile, CSK will have a chance to equal the historic number (five) of titles with Mumbai Indians while Titans, who surprised everyone by emerging as champions in their debut season, will be keen to make it two in two.

As far as playing combinations are concerned, both teams are expected to be unchanged. The focus will be once again on Shubman Gill, who is in red-hot form and would love to continue that in the summit clash. For CSK, Deepak Chahar’s swing will be vital to counter Gill, who needs 123 runs to break Virat Kohli’s record for most runs (973) in an IPL season.

On the other hand, Titans pacer Mohammed Shami has a favourable match-up against Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad. He has dismissed Conway three times in three innings, with the Kiwi batter managing just five runs across 12 balls. Gaikwad has never fallen to Shami but has scored at a strike rate of just 69.69 (46 off 66 balls) against him.

There are many other interesting match-ups between the players of both sides and it will be interesting to see how it plays out on a high-scoring venue.

Overall this IPL, teams batting first have been more successful, winning 40 games and losing 32 so far. Given it’s the final, and dew is not expected to play a big role, both Titans and CSK may prefer having runs on the board.

Squads:

Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni (c), Ravindra Jadeja, Tushar Deshpande, Matheesha Pathirana, Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu, Subhranshu Senapati, Simarjeet Singh, Deepak Chahar, Akash Singh, Prashant Solanki, Maheesh Theekshana, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Dwaine Pretorius, Mitchell Santner.

Gujarat Titans: Mohammed Shami, Abhinav Sadarangani, Rahul Tewatia, Noor Ahmad, R Sai Kishore, Jayant Yadav, Hardik Pandya (c), Vijay Shankar, Darshan Nalkande, Yash Dayal, Alzarri Joseph, Shubman Gill, Pradeep Sangwan, David Miller, Wriddhiman Saha, Matthew Wade, B Sai Sudarshan.

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Chennai march into their 10th IPL final

In reply, Rashid Khan’s 30-run cameo did give GT a glimmer of hope but CSK bowlers were at their best and bowled out the Titans for 157 in 20 overs to book the ticket to finale…reports Asian Lite News

Ruturaj Gaikwad’s 60 off 44 followed by a commanding display by the bowlers guided Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to their 10th final with a 15-run win over defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 Qualifier 1 at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, here on Tuesday.

Opener Devon Conway was struggling for rhythm but his partner Gaikwad was fluent as usual and stroked to his fourth fifty of the season. GT pulled things back nicely during the middle overs and seemed to have control of the proceedings. Towards the end, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja and Moeen Ali chipped in with cameos as CSK managed to reach 172/7 in their 20 overs.

In reply, GT couldn’t manage to build up any significant partnerships as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Rashid Khan’s 30-run cameo did give GT a glimmer of hope but CSK bowlers were at their best and bowled out the Titans for 157 in 20 overs to book the ticket to finale.

Chasing 173, the Titans had a shaky start, losing two wickets in the Power-play. Deepak Chahar drew the first blood by dismissing Wriddhiman Saha. Then Maheesh Theekshana struck in the sixth over and got the big wicket of skipper Hardik Pandya. Shubman Gill’s couple of lovely shots took GT to 41 for the loss of two wickets at the end of Power-Play.

The spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Theekshana kept things tight in the next three overs before Shanaka hit a back-to-back boundary and a maximum in the 10th over, taking GT to 72/2.

Chennai, May 23 (ANI): Chennai Super Kings’ MS Dhoni sets the field during the 1st qualifier match of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 against Gujarat Titans, at MA Chidambaram Stadium, in Chennai on Tuesday. (ANI Photo/ Digital Restriction)

In the next over, Jadeja removed Dasun Shanaka, who looked to reverse sweep over the point fielder but didn’t get it off the middle of the bat. Theekshana at short third man moved to his right and took a fine catch.

After Matheesha Pathirana’s 10-ball over, Jadeja struck again in the 13th over and cleaned up David Miller, finishing his spell with 2-18. In the next over, Deepak Chahar got the big fish Gill for 42, making the chase tougher as Titans were reduced GT to 88/5 and the asking run rate was over 12 runs per over.

Theekshana bowled the carrom ball and Rahul Tewatia was caught flat-footed deep inside the crease and was unable to tuck it away. The ball beat the bat and crashed into the stumps and, Gujarat lost their sixth wicket and 71 was needed in the next 30 balls.

Then, Rashid Khan and Vijay Shankar went for a few big hits and collected 19 runs in the 17th over to shift some momentum. But momentum again turned in CSK’s favour with two successive wickets. First Pathirana dismissed Shankar on the third ball of the 18th over, then Subhranshu Senapati’s direct hit sent Darshan Nalkande back to the hut.

With 35 needing in 12 balls, Rashid Khan smashed a boundary on the first ball of the penultimate over but, a moment later, Tushar Deshpande dismissed GT’s only hope, Rashid.

When 27 needed off 6, Pathirana conceded a boundary and picked up a wicket of Shami as GT was bowled out for 157 and CSK walked away with 15 runs.

Earlier, batting first, Chennai had a steady yet dramatic start as Gaikwad got caught at mid-wicket in the second over but was lucky to survive as Darshan Nalkande overstepped and the hooter went up. He then smoked over long-on for a six on a free hit and hit a boundary on the next ball.

With some cracking shots from Gaikwad and Conway, CSK reached 49 for no loss at the end of the Power-play. Soon, Gaikwad completed his fifty off 36 balls as CSK reached 85 for no loss at the halfway mark.

When the Titans were looking for a breakthrough, Mohit Sharma struck gold for Gujarat the next over and sent Gaikwad back, ending the 87-run opening stand.

After Gaikwad’s dismissal, the boundaries dried up for Chennai but Conway broke the shackles as he got an outside edge for a four. Then, Ajinkya Rahane whipped one over deep mid-wicket for a six but fell on the next ball.

Piling further miseries, Shami came back on and picked up a wicket right away, dismissing the set batter Conway for 40. Then, Rayudu used the depth of the crease and pulled it a long way over the mid-wicket fence for a maximum before falling on the last ball of the 18th over.

M.S. Dhoni came on to bat to a huge roar from the Chennai crowd. Ravindra Jadeja lofted it over cover for a boundary on the fourth ball of the penultimate over. The next delivery there was a deafening silence inside the ground as Dhoni walked back to the hut.

Jadeja got a boundary in the final before falling on the penultimate ball of the innings as Chennai racked up 172/7 in 20 overs.

Brief scores:

Chennai Super Kings 172/7 in 20 overs (Ruturaj Gaikwad 60, Devon Conway 40; Mohd Shami 2-28, Mohit Sharma 2-31) beat Gujarat Titans (Shubman Gill 42, Rashid Khan 30; Ravindra Jadeja 2-18, Maheesh Theekshana 2-28) by 15 runs

ALSO READ: IPL 2023: Stage set for 1st Qualifier

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Kohli’s ton in vain as Gujarat oust RCB

The result means that Bangalore crashed out of the race to the playoffs, with five-time champions Mumbai Indians sealing the last remaining spot in the last four stage…reports Asian Lite News

After a long wait of 55 minutes for Sunday’s game between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Gujarat Titans to start due to rain, the crowd at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium was treated to spectacular one-man show from Virat Kohli, who coasted to his second consecutive century through an unbeaten 61-ball 101.

Kohli’s efforts of carrying his bat through the innings with 13 fours and a six at a strike-rate of 165.57 meant Bangalore posted a competitive 197/5, giving hopes to their die-hard fans in the stadium about reaching the playoffs and keeping the quest for the elusive trophy alive.

But Shubman Gill, the heir apparent of Kohli in the Indian batting line-up, sizzled with an unbeaten 104 off 52 balls, also his second straight IPL century, laced with hitting five fours and eight sixes at a strike-rate of 200 to break countless Bangalore-supporting hearts in the stadium and steal Kohli’s thunder.

He also shared a crucial 123-run partnership off 71 balls for the second wicket with Vijay Shankar, who scored a quick 53, to help Gujarat chase down 198 with five balls to spare, in what felt like passing of the Indian batting baton from one generation to another.

The result means that Bangalore crashed out of the race to the playoffs, with five-time champions Mumbai Indians sealing the last remaining spot in the last four stage and will face Lucknow Super Giants in the eliminator on May 24 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

Chasing 198, Wriddhiman Saha and Gill hit two fours each in the first three overs, before the former fell in the third over off Mohammed Siraj when Wayne Parnell at cover jumped to take the catch with his outstretched left hand for a stunning one-handed take.

Shankar got couple of outside edges off Parnell for fours, followed by lofting a six over long-on as Gujarat ended power-play at 56/1. While Shankar struggled to get his timing against spinners, Gill smacked Vyshak Vijaykumar down the ground for a clean six, followed by a lucky edge going for four and swiping Himanshu Sharma for six over deep mid-wicket.

A change of bat saw Shankar cut Harshal Patel for four, followed by slog-sweeping between long-on and deep mid-wicket off Himanshu for another boundary. Gill ended the 11th over by dancing down the pitch to drive Himanshu through extra cover, followed by getting his fifty in 29 balls.

Bengaluru, May 21 (ANI): Gujarat Titans’ Shubhman Gill and Vijay Shankar during their 100runs partnership in a match against Royal Challengers Bangalore of Indian Premier League 2023, at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru on Sunday. (ANI Photo/Digital Restriction)

Gill then tore into Michael Bracewell’s off-spin, picking up a delivery on pads over long leg for six and clobbered one over deep mid-wicket for another maximum. Gujarat’s luck continued when Shankar got a four off an outside edge against Siraj. He then ramped and lofted Vyshak for two fours, before slogging him for six to get his fifty in 34 balls.

In a bid to get another six, Shankar holed out to deep mid-wicket on the very next ball, followed by Dasun Shanaka holing out in the same region in quick succession. After a no-boundary 17th over, Gill eased pressure with a short-arm pull off Siraj for six, though the pacer bounced back by having David Miller slicing to deep point.

Gill then nailed a pull off Siraj over deep mid-wicket for six to bring the equation to 19 off 12 balls. He again brought out the nonchalant short-arm pull against Harshal for six, before finishing off the chase in style with a maximum over long-on bringing up his second IPL century in as many games.

Earlier, Kohli mesmerised everyone with his magical bottom-handed shots, controlled footwork and usage of wrists to take Bangalore to a big total despite wickets falling around him, and went off the field to a rousing standing ovation from the crowd.

Pushed into batting first, Faf du Plessis went after Mohammed Shami, hitting four boundaries in the third over. Kohli joined the boundary-hitting party by flicking and pulling twice for three well-timed boundaries, before du Plessis ended the over by lofting over mid-off for four to end fourth over by taking 17 runs.

Kohli took a four each off Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad to end power-play at 62/0. Gujarat fought back in the eighth over when du Plessis went for loft off Noor, only for the bottom edge to go past the keeper and lobbed up to slip for an easy catch. Glenn Maxwell began powerfully with a six and four off the left-arm spinner, but was castled by a Rashid googly while trying to drive off him.

Noor stuck again when he enticed Mahipal Lomror to come out for a flick. But the ball went past him down leg and Saha moved swiftly to stump the batter. Kohli smashed a drive past long-off, before reaching his fifty in 35 balls. He found support from Bracewell, who began with three crisp boundaries through the off-side.

Kohli slammed Mohit over extra cover for four, before Bracewell capitalised on his slower deliveries to pick consecutive boundaries in a 15-run 13th over. Bracewell’s handy knock came to an end when the top-edge on a miscue was caught by Shami off his own bowling and Dinesh Karthik fell for a golden duck off Dayal when the bouncer took a glove edge behind.

Kohli led Bangalore’s recovery by cutting wide of cover and square-driving with perfection off Mohit for a brace of fours in the 16th over. He welcomed Dayal by swivelling hard over deep mid-wicket for six, before clipping him for four. Kohli flicked sweetly and pulled off Shami for two fours, before reaching his century off 60 balls in the final over. But it wasn’t sufficient enough to avoid being stunned by Gill.

Brief Scores: Royal Challengers Bangalore 197/5 in 20 overs (Virat Kohli 101 not out; Noor Ahmad 2/39) lost to Gujarat Titans 198/4 in 19.1 overs (Shubman Gill 104 not out, Vijay Shankar 53; Mohammed Siraj 2/32) by six wickets

ALSO READ: Chennai sink Delhi, storm into playoff

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Gujarat Titans enter playoffs

While the Titans become the first team to qualify for the Playoffs this season and are assured a top-two finish as well with 18 points in their kitty with one match to go, Sunrisers are officially eliminated from the tournament…reports Asian Lite News

Shubman Gill’s scintillating maiden century followed by a four-wicket haul each by Mohammad Shami and Mohit Sharma powered Gujarat Titans to the Playoffs with a 34-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in an IPL 2023 match at the Narendra Modi Stadium, here on Monday.

While the Titans become the first team to qualify for the Playoffs this season and are assured a top-two finish as well with 18 points in their kitty with one match to go, Sunrisers are officially eliminated from the tournament.

Gill (101 off 58) and B. Sai Sudharsan (47 off 36) set the foundation for a big total with their 147-run stand before GT lost momentum with the bat in the final stages of the first innings and suffered a sudden collapse with just 41 runs coming for the loss of seven wickets in the death overs to post 188/9.

Shami (4-21) then ripped through the SRH top-order and Mohit (4-24) scythed through the middle-order as the hosts overcame a fighting effort from Heinrich Klaasen (64 off 44) to restrict SRH to 154/9 and become the first team to qualify for the Play-offs.

Chasing 189, SRH were jolted early Mohammad Shami’s triple strike in the Power-play reduced Sunrisers to 29/4. He first got the opener Anmolpreet Singh in the first over. The next over Yash Dayal removed Abhishek Sharma for 4.

Shami struck again in the third over to dismiss Rahul Tripathi and got the big wicket of skipper Aiden Markram in the fifth over and Sanvir Singh smashed him for a maximum on the last ball of the over.

Heinrich Klassen make a bit of room and lofted it all the way over the extra cover fence for a six and SRH were 45/4 at the end of the Power-play.

The next over Mohit Sharma’s double strike put further miseries on SRH in the run-chase as the visitors were reduced to 50/6. He first got rid of Sanvir Singh.

Then, Abdul Samad stayed back and looked to muscle away a slower ball but got no elevation and the ball crunched straight to short mid-wicket where Shivam Mavi took a sharp catch.

An over later, Mohit claimed his third in the form of Marco Jansen, who looked to loft it down the ground but the ball took the thick inside half and ended up chipping an easy catch for the GT skipper and Sunrisers lost their seventh wicket on the score of 59.

In between, the in-form Klaasen kept battling hard as he brought up his half-century off 35 balls and stitched a 68-run partnership for the eighth wicket.

When 66 was needed in 24 balls, Shami broke the crucial 68-run partnership by sending Klassen back in the 17th over, making it tougher for the Sunrisers to go over the line.

Mayank Markande hammered Mohit for a six and a boundary in the penultimate over. The pacer was quick to regroup and got rid of Bhuvneshwar.

With 42 left for the final over, Rahul Tewatia gave away just seven runs as GT restrict SRH to 154/9 in 20 overs to seal an important 34-run win.

Earlier, batting first, GT lost opener Wriddhiman Saha for a duck. Then, Gill and Sudharsan pressed the accelerator to take the Power-Play score to 65/1.

The duo continued punishing SRH bowlers with their boundary hits and established the 147-run partnership, which Marco Jansen broke in the 15 over.

Afterwards, the hosts suffered a collapse. Captain Hardik Pandya came and pulled it hard towards the deep square-leg region, to begin with a four, but Bhuvneshwar didn’t let him stay for long and removed him the next over.

Natarajan, then, removed David Miller. Rahul Tewatia too didn’t last long as he miscued his loft to mid-off where Jansen pouched a brilliant catch off Farooqi.

Meanwhile, Gill brought up his maiden IPL century with a single in the 19th over. But, Bhuvneshwar sent him back soon after his hundred in the final over. On the next delivery, he dismissed Rashid Khan.

He didn’t get the hat-trick but SRH managed to get a team hat-trick as Bhuvneshwar produced a direct hit to run out Noor Ahmad as they set off for a risky bye. Bhuvneshwar completed his five-for as he had Shami caught at long-on off a slower one.

It was a fantastic comeback from SRH as they conceded just 34 runs and picked up seven wickets in the last five overs as the away team restricted GT to 188/9.

Brief scores:

Gujarat Titans 188/9 in 20 overs (Shubman Gill 101, Sai Sudharshan 47; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 5-30) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad 154/9 in 20 overs (Heinrich Klaasen 64, Mohammed Shami 4-20, Mohit Sharma 4-28) by 34 runs.

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Titans beat Super Giants by 7 runs in a thriller

The victory also means Gujarat are on par with Lucknow, Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings on eight points, and at fourth place due to net run rate, while also managing to maintain their clean slate of victories over Lucknow in IPL…reports Asian Lite News

Chasing 136 was looking like a walk in the park for Lucknow Super Giants. A wicketless power-play, captain KL Rahul well-set after making fifty, Gujarat Titans dropping two catches and needing 31 runs off 36 balls with nine wickets in hand, everything was literally going their way for a victory.

But Mohit Sharma and Noor Ahmad picked two wickets each while Shami, despite not picking a wicket, played a crucial part in producing top-notch bowling on a slow pitch to successfully defend 135 and help Gujarat pull off a miraculous seven-run victory in Match No 30 of the IPL 2023 at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, here on Saturday.

Such was the relentless accuracy from Gujarat’s bowlers in the back-end that Lucknow couldn’t hit a boundary in the last 45 balls. Questions will be asked of Rahul, who looked good in reaching his fifty in 38 balls and had a strike-rate upwards of 150 in powerplay.

But after crossing fifty, Rahul managed to get his next 18 runs off 23 balls to eventually make 68 off 61 balls as Lucknow ended up with 128/7 in 20 overs, with Gujarat leaving them stunned to record their first win of IPL 2023 while defending a total.

The victory also means Gujarat are on par with Lucknow, Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings on eight points, and at fourth place due to net run rate, while also managing to maintain their clean slate of victories over Lucknow in IPL.

Gujarat’s turnaround tale began when Krunal Pandya was stumped off Noor in the 15th over. After a slew of dot balls, Noor had another wicket in the 17th over when Nicholas Pooran top-edged a slog-sweep to Hardik.

Mohit mixed yorkers and slower balls very well to concede just six runs in the 18th over, as pressure increased on Lucknow. Shami produced an excellent boundary-less 19th over, conceding just five runs.

With 12 runs needed off the final over, Mohit sealed the game in Gujarat’s favour as Rahul mistimed a pull to deep square leg and Marcus Stoinis holed out to long-on on successive deliveries. It was followed by run-outs of Ayush Badoni and Deepak Hooda as Mohit gave away just four runs, giving Gujarat a spectacular victory from the jaws of defeat.

Earlier, Rahul began the chase by playing a maiden off Shami. In the fast bowler’s second over, the LSG skipper turned the tide by smashing a hat-trick of fours. On the other hand, Kyle Mayers looked good in cutting and driving on the up for taking boundaries against impact player Jayant Yadav.

Rashid Khan’s introduction in the fifth over didn’t yield the desired result as Rahul pulled him for back-to-back boundaries, followed by Mayers dancing down the pitch to loft over long-on for six. After Rahul exquisitely pierced the gap between cover and mid-off with a nice punch off Mohit for four, Rashid bounced back by castling Mayers through the gate.

From there, Lucknow managed to get a boundary from overs 8-11, with Rahul looking sublime and Krunal supporting him very well, with the latter being aided by Abhinav Manohar dropping his catch in the ninth over.

Rahul reached his fifty in 38 balls with a single off Rahul Tewatia, followed by Krunal hoicking him cleanly over long-on for six. Rahul got a life on 55 when Vijay Shankar couldn’t hold on to his catch at long-on. But after Krunal fell, the script dramatically fell in Gujarat’s favour as Rahul and Lucknow were left wondering what went wrong.

Earlier, Gujarat’s batters found it difficult to find their timing, barring captain Hardik’s 66 off 50 balls and Wriddhiman Saha hitting 47 off 37 balls. Such was the difficulty in stroke play that Hardik was the only batter from Gujarat to hit all of their sixes in their innings.

Electing to bat first, they suffered a huge blow when Shubman Gill fell for a two-ball duck to Krunal. Saha took three quick fours off Krunal, Naveen-ul-Haq and Avesh Khan, before cutting on consecutive deliveries off Ravi Bishnoi for boundaries in the last over of power-play.

Saha nailed another cut off Stoinis for four, before Hardik, promoting himself to number three, made great use of fuller balls from Bishnoi to smash him over extra cover for four and hit a six over long-off. The 68-run partnership between Saha and Hardik came to an end in the 11th over when the former chipped straight to long-on.

Lucknow’s slowdown effect then led to quick dismissals of Manohar and Shankar. But Hardik ended 4.2 overs of boundary drought by pulling Bishnoi for four, followed by smashing powerful sixes over deep mid-wicket and long-on, first of which fetched him his fifty in 44 balls in a 19-run over.

Hardik began the final over by pulling Stoinis for a flat six, before pulling a slower ball straight to long-on. Stoinis ended the innings by having David Miller hole out to long-on.

Brief Scores: Gujarat Titans 135/6 in 20 overs (Hardik Pandya 66, Wriddhiman Saha 47; Krunal Pandya 2/16, Marcus Stoinis 2/20) beat Lucknow Super Giants 128/7 in 20 overs (KL Rahul 68, Kyle Mayers 24; Mohit Sharma 2/17, Noor Ahmad 2/18) by 7 runs.

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Samson blitz rescues Rajasthan Royals

With Rajasthan at 66/4 in 12 overs, Samson breathed life back in the waning chase by hitting Rashid for a hat-trick of sixes…reports Asian Lite News

Rajasthan Royals were literally in a no man’s land at 66/4 in 12 overs in pursuit of chasing down 178 against a Gujarat Titans bowling attack, who bowled 26 dot balls in the first six overs.

With 112 more runs off 48 balls, not many would have given them a chance for a victory. But captain Sanju Samson unleashed by taking 20 runs off Rashid Khan in the 13th over to eventually make 60 while Shimron Hetmyer smashed a whirlwind unbeaten 56 off just 26 balls to give Rajasthan an improbable three-wicket victory.

The stunning last-over heist also means Rajasthan retain their top spot on the points table with eight points. Samson and Hetmyer added a crucial stand of 59 runs off 27 balls, followed by the latter adding 47 runs off 20 deliveries with Dhruv Jurel to complete the chase with four balls to spare.

Mohammed Shami built pressure from the word go while troubling Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler. Gujarat were rewarded when Hardik Pandya had Jaiswal nicking to slip while Buttler’s attempt to scoop backfired as Shami sent the off-stump on a cartwheel ride.

Gujarat could have got their third wicket had Shubman Gill held on to a tough chance at slip to dismiss Devdutt Padikkal. After the powerplay ended at 26/2, Rashid had Padikkal caught by short third man while Riyan Parag holed out to a forward diving long-off.

With Rajasthan at 66/4 in 12 overs, Samson breathed life back in the waning chase by hitting Rashid for a hat-trick of sixes — once over long-off while pulling twice over deep mid-wicket. Hetmyer took on Joseph by heaving past leaping deep square leg for six and slogging through the same region for four more.

After getting his fifty in 29 balls, Samson took on debutant spinner Noor Ahmad, lofting a drive over long-off for six and pulling past short fine leg for four. But the teenager, coming in as an impact player for Gill, had the last laugh as Samson skied to long-off to get his first IPL wicket.

Hetmyer stood tall by smacking two gigantic sixes off Joseph in the 16th over, with Jurel dabbing for a four. He then pulled Rashid for four, before slamming a six over long-on to take 13 runs off the 18th over. Jurel smacked Shami over long-on for six, but the pacer bounced back by having him top-edge a hook to fine leg.

Ravichandran Ashwin slapped his first ball over point for four, and followed it up with a pulled six over deep mid-wicket. Though Ashwin fell after slicing to short third man, Hetmyer finished off the chase by pulling Ahmad over deep mid-wicket for six to complete a sensational chase for Rajasthan.

Earlier, David Miller was dropped on six on his seventh ball as Adam Zampa made a mess of a regulation caught and bowled chance. He went on to top-score with 46 off 30 balls and powered Gujarat to a competitive 177/7.

Apart from Miller, Gujarat were also aided by 45 from Gill, 28 from Hardik and 27 from Abhinav Manohar at the back end. For Rajasthan, pacer Sandeep Sharma was pick of bowlers with 2/25, while Zampa, Yuzvendra Chahal and Trent Boult took a wicket each.

Pushed into batting first, Wriddhiman Saha gave a fat top-edge on a hoick and with wicketkeeper as well as two fielders converging, Boult took a catch on rebound off keeper’s gloves. Sai Sudharsan struck two fours, before being run out for 20.

Gill used his feet well in getting close to the pitch of the ball for sweeping and lofting off Ashwin for back-to-back fours. Hardik, promoting himself to number four, immediately attacked Zampa by swinging down the ground for a four and six respectively.

Ashwin came under further attack as Gill continued to use his feet to loft over extra cover for four and over long-on for six, while Hardik got an outside edge running past short third man for four as 17 runs came off the over.

But Chahal broke the 59-run partnership by having Hardik go for a cross-bat heave, but the ball spun away to take a top-edge to extra cover. Five overs later, Gill holed out to long-on off Sandeep. After being put down on six, Miller smacked Chahal for a brace of sixes in the leg-side.

Manohar hit Boult for back-to-back sixes in the 18th over a pull over long-on was followed by pummeling over long-off. In the next over, Miller pulled Zampa for four, before Manohar launched the leg-spinner high over long-on for six.

But Zampa had the last laugh by having Manohar slicing to point. Miller cracked consecutive fours on wide yorkers from Sandeep through the off-side, before slicing a high full toss to deep cover, as 11 runs came off the final over.

Brief Scores: Gujarat Titans 177/7 in 20 overs (David Miller 46, Shubman Gill 45; Sandeep Sharma 2/25, Adam Zampa 1/32) lost to Rajasthan Royals 179/7 in 19.2 overs (Sanju Samson 60, Shimron Hetmyer 56 not out; Mohammed Shami 3/25, Rashid Khan 2/46) by three wickets.

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Mohit, Gill guide Gujarat to a six-wicket victory

Thursday’s victory is Gujarat’s third win of the ongoing season and takes them to third place on the points table, while Punjab were handed their second loss of the tournament….reports Asian Lite News

Opener Shubman Gill notched up his second half-century of IPL 2023 while fast bowler Mohit Sharma marked his comeback in the tournament with a stellar spell to lead the way for Gujarat Titans to beat Punjab Kings by six wickets at the IS Bindra PCA Stadium on Thursday.

Thursday’s victory is Gujarat’s third win of the ongoing season and takes them to third place on the points table, while Punjab were handed their second loss of the tournament. Mohit, a previous Purple Cap winner in the IPL, was a net bowler for Gujarat in clinching their maiden title last year.

On Thursday, he shone through with his 2-18 in four overs, bowling slower balls and maintaining tight lines. Mohit also bowled 12 dot balls, as he led a clinical bowling performance from Gujarat to restrict Punjab to 153/8.

The defending champions were on course for a comfortable chase, thanks to Gill’s serene 67 off 49 balls, laced with seven fours and a six. With seven runs needed off the final over, after Arshdeep Singh conceded only six runs in the 19th, Gill survived a run-out chance, before Sam Curran uprooted his off-stump on the very next ball, bringing sudden tension into the match.

After Curran nailed two back-to-back yorkers, David Miller completed the second run with a desperate dive. With four runs needed off the last two balls, Rahul Tewatia calmly finished off the chase by moving across and scooping a full ball from Curran over short fine leg for four to seal the deal for Gujarat with a ball to spare.

Gujarat were off to a flier as Gill eased into a cover drive off Arshdeep for four. Wriddhiman Saha launched into Arshdeep by driving, whipping, pulling and slicing with disdain to take four boundaries in the third over.

But a bouncer from Rabada in the fifth over saw Saha pulling straight to deep square leg, giving the fast bowler his 100th IPL wicket. Sai Sudharsan immediately got going with a delightful punch through point for four.

Sudharsan and Gill kept the scoreboard ticking through strike rotation, with the latter taking two boundaries off Rahul Chahar through a cut and lofting inside-out over extra cover. But Sudharsan fell in the 12th over, pulling straight to deep fine leg. Three overs later, Hardik Pandya holed out to long-on off Harpreet Brar.

Gill brought up his fifty in the 16th over with a nonchalant lofted cover drive off Chahar. He left fans astonished by playing a tennis-like forehand that flew past the non-striker off Curran for four and stood tall to pull Rabada nonchalantly over a deep square leg for six. Though he fell in the final over, Tewatia ensured Gujarat got over the line.

Earlier, at the end of the powerplay, Punjab were cruising at 52/2. But Gujarat’s bowlers, led by Mohit, gave away only 42 runs in the middle overs and picked four wickets in the last five overs to keep Punjab to a below-par total. 50% of the deliveries bowled by Gujarat’s fast bowlers were on short/back-of-length regions, thus limiting Punjab’s run flow as they played 56 dot balls in their innings.

Prabhsimran Singh fell for his second consecutive duck, flicking to mid-wicket off Mohammed Shami. Matthew Short got going by striking Shami for back-to-back fours through punch and pull shots.

Shikhar Dhawan looked majestic in slicing and driving Joshua Little through the off-side. But the left-arm pacer had the last laugh, as Dhawan danced down the pitch for a flick, but ended up skying to a backtracking mid-on.

Short looked glorious in driving Shami twice through cover, while glancing and pulling off Alzarri Joseph for four and six. He ended the power-play with a straight drive down the ground off Little. His knock came to an end when he missed a googly from Rashid Khan and saw the ball crashing into stumps.

With Gujarat tightening the run-flow through consistent hitting of length balls, Jitesh Sharma used Rashid’s pace to pull twice and paddle sweep once to get three boundaries. He welcomed Shami with a straight drive down the ground and survived an inside edge to get a brace of fours in the 12th over.

Jitesh fell in the 13th over off Mohit, missing a punch against a back of the length ball which just moved away a little. Saha, who caught the ball and was the only one appealing, managed to convince Hardik to take a review, which showed a thin outside edge.

Four overs later, Rajapaksa’s painful stay at the crease ended when he chipped a full toss from Joseph straight to deep mid-wicket. Curran went for a pull off an off-cutter from Mohit, but found deep mid-wicket.

Shahrukh Khan got some cheer from the Mohali crowd by pulling Joseph over deep midwicket for six, before lofting a low full toss from Shami over long-on for same result. He ramped a slower ball from Mohit over short third, before Harpreet’s straight six down the ground took Punjab above 150.

Brief scores:

Punjab Kings 153/8 in 20 overs (Matthew Short 36, Jitesh Sharma 25; Mohit Sharma 2-18, Rashid Khan 1-26) lost to Gujarat Titans 154/4 in 19.5 overs (Shubman Gill 67, Wriddhiman Saha 30; Harpreet Brar 1-20, Sam Curran 1-25) by six wickets

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Gujarat Titans beat Delhi Capitals by 6 wickets

With 46 needed off the last five overs, it was anyone’s game till Gujarat tilted in their favour…reports Asian Lite News

Mohammed Shami and Rashid Khan picked three wickets each while B Sai Sudharsan slammed an impressive 62 not out with David Miller and Vijay Shankar playing crucial roles in Gujarat Titas’ defeating Delhi Capitals by six wickets in match seven of IPL 2023 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday.

On a pitch that had plenty of pace and bounce, Shami and Rashid picked 3-41 and 3-31 respectively while Alzarri Joseph dazzled with 2/29. In chasing 163, Sudharsan and Shankar played some good solid cricket in their 53-run partnership for the fourth wicket after losing three wickets in power-play.

The duo looked for boundaries while also rotating the strike at the same time. It meant that they were able to keep up with the run rate through risk-free cricket before Shankar fell in the 14th over.

With 46 needed off the last five overs, it was anyone’s game till Gujarat tilted in their favour. David Miller pulled Mukesh Kumar for six, and then lofted over wide long-on for the same result. He then ended the 16th over with a powerful drive through cover for four, as 20 runs came off it.

Sudharsan got his fifty in 44 balls with a delightful ramp off Anrich Nortje in the 17th over, followed by a massive swivelled six over fine leg. Miller then uppishly drove off Khaleel Ahmed for four in the 18th over, before finishing off the chase with 11 balls to spare.

Wriddhiman Saha got the chase off to a flier, punching and lofting impact player Ahmed for back-to-back boundaries, before ending the over with a superb pick-up shot for six. Shubman Gill welcomed Mukesh in the next over with two exquisitely-timed fours through the off-side.

Nortje struck on his first ball of the tournament, disturbing Saha’s with a scorching nip-backer in the third over, before uprooting Gill’s off-stump with another feisty delivery in his next over.

Sudharsan wowed everyone with his scoop off Nortje for six, before flicking Ahmed through mid-wicket for four. But the left-arm pacer signed off from power-play by forcing Hardik Pandya to play at a length delivery which he nicked behind to Abishek Porel.

Post power-play, Sudharsan survived a caught behind appeal off Kuldeep as replays showed flat line when the ball went past the bat. He joined forces with Shankar, the impact player, to get Gujarat’s chase back on track.

While Sudarshan made full use of width from Mukesh to drive him through extra-cover, Shankar produced some eye-catchy boundary shots, like lofting over Kuldeep’s head, pulling stylishly off Mitchell Marsh and Ahmed.

New Delhi, Apr 04 (ANI): Gujarat Titans’ Sai Sudharsan brings up his half-century during the match against Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, at Arun Jaitley Stadium, in New Delhi on Tuesday. (ANI Photo)

The 53-run partnership ended when Marsh trapped Shankar lbw and got the decision in his favour via DRS, as the crowd found its voice back. Miller survived an lbw off Kuldeep with replays showing the ball missing leg-stump in the 15th over. From there, Miller and Sudharsan took Gujarat home without any hiccups.

Earlier, Shami got some help from the pitch in an eventful opening over. An away swinger against Warner disturbed the off-stump, but the bail was unmoved. Though he also cut him in size, Shami was unable to find control, giving away seven wides.

Prithvi Shaw then took on Shami in his next over by flaying a cut over the slip cordon for four. But Shami had the last laugh by having Shaw caught on a pull at mid-on. The senior India pacer had more success with the new ball by castling Marsh.

A scratchy Warner got a move on when he slapped Shami through point for four, before pulling Pandya through the square leg for another boundary. He welcomed Joseph in the seventh over with a brace of boundaries – a smash over mid-off was followed by steering over backward point.

Just when it looked like Warner was set at the crease, he chopped on off Joseph in the ninth over. Joseph then dismissed Rilee Rossouw with a brute 146kph delivery that took the shoulder edge of an awkward fend and was caught brilliantly by diving backward point.

Debutant Porel looked good in his 11-ball 20, including pulling Yash Dayal over square leg for six after being hit on the helmet by a Joseph bouncer, before Rashid castled him in the 13th over.

With Sarfaraz Khan struggling to get going despite Josh Little dropping his catch in the 12th over, Axar injected some momentum with pull and drive off Rashid and Joseph for boundaries, followed by a stunning loft off the leg-spinner for six.

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After sweeping off Rashid, Sarfaraz’s painful stay came to an end on the very next ball of the 17th over when he miscued a sweep to deep square leg. Aman Khan slog-swept Rashid for six, but sliced straight to extra cover off the leg-spinner.

But Axar continued to do some late-hitting for Delhi, lofting cleanly over long-off for six off Josh Little. In the final over, he brought out a lovely one-handed smash over wide long-on off Shami for six. But two balls later, in a bid to go big, A’ar sliced to deep cover. Anrich Nortje’s last ball four took Delhi to above 160.

Brief scores:

Delhi Capitals 162/8 in 20 overs (David Warner 37, Axar Patel 36; Rashid Khan 3-31, Mohammed Shami 3-41) lost to Gujarat Titans 163/4 in 18.1 overs (B Sai Sudharsan 62 not out, David Miller 31 not out; Anrich Nortje 2-39, Mitchell Marsh 1-24) by six wickets

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