Gujarat did to Punjab what Delhi did to Mumbai just last week, only much more flamboyantly as Gujarat pulled off a coup for the ages to beat Punjab in the very last ball. Sent in to bat first Punjab put up a formidable total of 189 thanks to some blistering knock from Liam Livingstone. But Gujarat was up to the task as Shubman Gill anchored the innings scoring 96 off just 59 balls, falling agonizingly short of a famous century in the dying moments of the game. It all looked lost for the Titans until the last three balls of the match when an unnecessary throw from Odean Smith gave the Titans an ever precious run to make it 12 needed off two and the rest was up to two majestic swings from Tewatia to seal the match.
After back-to-back wins from their first two games, Gujarat were looking to make it three in three. Hardik Pandya won the toss and sent the Punjab kings to bat first with dew expected to play a role later. The trick seemed to work initially for the Titans. Hardik Pandya had his opposition skipper Mayank Aggarwal caught at short midwicket to a hasty delivery in his very first over. After posting 63, 62 and 73 in the powerplay in their last three games, Punjab posted a paltry 43 this time around with Ferguson dismissing Bairstow in the fifth over for just 8 runs. Punjab had decided to go with Bairstow instead of Rajapaksha, but Englishmen failed to get out of the blocks.
While Dhawan and the rest of the Punjab batters struggled, Liam Livingstone was on a completely different realm. He opened his account with a four off the very first ball. He then hit newcomer Nalkande and the experienced Rashid Khan all over the ball park, racing to a 21-ball fifty (second fastest this season after Pat Cummins’ blistering 14-ball fifty). Gujarat Titans thought they had stemmed the run flow after the dismissal of Shikhar Dhawan, but Livingstone continued his carnage, much like his previous knock against CSK, along with Jitender Sharma. But Nalkande struck gold, dismissing Sharma and Odean Smith in consecutive deliveries. But even that did not slow down the Titans as Livingstone went on about his business along with Shahrukh Khan, but both fell to Rashid Khan in the 16th over, with the score at 155/7. It all went downhill for Punjab as they added only 34 runs in the next four overs to finish at 189/9.
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Titans were off the gates in a flash in their chase with Shubman Gill racing to 22 after just two overs. Kagiso Rabada dismissed a rusty Mathew Wade in the third over, but their joy was cut painfully short as TNPL player Sudarshan walked in. The duo put up a 101-run partnership for the third wicket to take the game away from Punjab. Shubman Gill was sublime once again as he showed his strokeplay skills skipping to a 29-ball fifty which he reached in style belting Livingstone through the covers. Titans’ sole chance came in the 8th over Gill, looking to pull Odean Smith, sent the ball right back at the bowler, but Smith couldn’t hold on. From there on, it was the Gill-Sudarshan show as they kept firing on all cylinders, rotating strike and putting away the loose balls to the boundary.
Rahul Chahar who had been hit for 22 runs in his first two overs, provided the breakthrough, dismissing Sudarshan with a googly that was skied only to find the safe hands of Mayank Aggarwal. The match win predictor kept swaying between both teams as each over passed. It was siding Punjab at the end of 16 overs as Titans needed 12.50 an over. The 18th over had two missed opportunities for Punjab. The first ball from Chahar was a wide delivery which missed both an advancing Gill and keeper Bairstow. Hardik scored two consecutive boundaries off the third and fourth balls to release the pressure, but top edged the fifth ball, but a diving Rabada failed to hold on as Pandya and Titans breathed a sigh of relief.
The 19th over from Arshdeep Singh was brilliant conceding just five runs with the Titans needing 32 off the last two. Rabada started the over poorly with a no-ball and then following it up with consecutive boundaries in the third and fourth balls but provided the breakthrough with the priceless wicket of Shubman Gill who fell four runs short of a memorable century. Titans were left with a tall task of 19 needed off the last over. Bairstow had Pandya run-out in the second ball with an under-arm throw. Miller missed a swing and immediately set off but Pandya was well short of his crease as Bairstow hit the stumps with a direct-hit. Odean Smith took an unnecessary shy at the stumps with two balls to go, giving a run to over-throw. Titans now needed 12 from the last two and Tewatia finished things off with two swings to script a famous win.
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