In the third match of the season, Shubman Gill played a crucial role in leading defending champions Gujarat Titans to their third victory. Punjab Kings had a run of bad luck from the start of the innings as Joshua Little picked up the wicket of opener Prabhsimran Singh in the first over, and Shikhar Dhawan departed after a misjudged shot. However, PBKS showed some resilience with Mathew and Short’s power-hitting; Short scored 35 runs off 22 balls, while Jitesh Sharma added three fours against Rashid Khan’s spells. Eventually, though, the GT pacers Mohit Sharma and Alzarri Joseph bowled an outstanding middle over, slowing down PBKS’ run-making considerably. Gujarat Titans too faced tough batting conditions as they matched Punjab Kings’ scoring rate in the beginning. However, Wriddhiman Saha’s steady start was cut short by Kagiso Rabada’s short ball. Soon after, the scoring slowed down with Arshdeep and Curran applying pressure through scoring dots. But finally, Gill took charge, making 50 runs through lofting Rahul Chahar over the mid-wicket region and pulling Rabada for a six in the 18th over. At the end of the day, Gill’s half-century and Tewatia’s composed chase took Gujarat Titans to a win. Punjab Kings will face LSG in Lucknow, followed by Gujarat Titans, who will take on Rajasthan Royals in their upcoming fixture.
