Punjab Kings Down High-Flying Gujarat Titans; Beat Table Toppers By 8 Wickets

GT vs PBKS IPL 2022: Punjab Kings put up a controlled batting performance as they chased down a modest total with 8  in hand against Gujarat Titans. With Shikhar Dhawan, Bhanuka Rajapaksa & Liam Livingstone playing their parts to perfection, Punjab Kings managed to chase down the target with 24 deliveries in hand. 

After Punjab Kings lost Jonny Bairstow, who was promoted to open, in the 4th over, Shikhar Dhawan & Bhanuka Rajapaksa etched a partnership of 87 runs in 59 balls. Opener Shikhar Dhawan remained not out after scoring a balanced 62 runs in 53 balls with 8 fours & a six. 

Sri Lankan batter Bhanuka Rajapaksa played a quick knock of 40 runs in 28 balls with 5 fours and a six before Lockie Ferguson got the better of him in the 12th over. However, Livingstone was sent ahead to finish the match early to boost the run rate, and the English all-rounder did just that. 

After 15 overs, Punjab Kings need 28 more runs to win in 5 overs. Shami came on to bowl, and Ferguson smacked him for 3 sixes & 2 fours along with a double to finish the match with 4 overs in hand, drastically improving their run rate. 

In the first innings, Punjab Kings' bowlers pulled off a much-needed bowling performance against table-toppers Gujarat Titans, restricting them to a total of 143/8 in 20 overs. 

Kagiso Rabada picked up 4 wickets while giving away just 32 runs in 4 overs, including consecutive wickets of Rahul Tewatia & Rashid Khan in the 17th over. Rishi Dhawan, Liam Livingstone & Arshdeep Singh also managed 1 wicket each for Punjab Kings.

For Gujarat Titans, youngster Sai Sudharshan was the top scorer with an unbeaten 64 runs in 50 balls, with 5 fours & a six. Opener Wriddhiman Saha scored 21 runs as the rest of the batters failed to cross the 20-run mark. 

Also Read: IPL 2022 - Scorecard

Earlier, Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya won the toss & opted to bat first against Punjab Kings in the 48th match of IPL 2022. This match is being played at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy Stadium, Mumbai.

Brief Score:

• Gujarat Titans - 143/8 (Sudharshan - 64(50), Rabada - 4/32)
• Punjab Kings - 145/2 in 16 overs (Dhawan - 62(53), Ferguson - 1/23)