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'Ab bina baat ka credit Hardik Pandya le jaega'- Fans react as Gujarat Giants beat Punjab Kings by 7 wickets to go top of the table

Gujarat Titans won the game by the barest of margins with another Rahul Tewatia classic as he finished the game with a ball remaining

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Rohit Kumar
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Gujarat Titans

Gujarat Titans (Source - Twitter)

Gujarat Titans visited the home of Punjab Kings for the 18th match of the Indian Premier League 2023 on Thursday. The match was played at Mohali and Gujarat skipper Hardik Pandya chose to field first considering the dew and the added benefit of it. Mohammed Shami took the wicket of Prabhsimran Singh in the first over itself to give his side an early advantage.

Matthew Short then joined captain Shikhar Dhawan at the crease to take the side forward. But the skipper was also then dismissed in the powerplay, leaving the Punjab team begging for a partnership. Matthew Short then added quick runs to give the team some momentum. In the seventh over, the perilous Rashid Khan put an end to Short's devastation. 

After that, Jitesh Sharma and Bhanuka Rajapaksa made it through the 12th over before the latter collapsed as they attempted to pick up speed in response to a deft request for DRS by Wriddhiman Saha. Punjab Kings barely managed to surpass the 150-run threshold, scoring 153/8 within 20 overs as Gujarat Titans kept a tight hold on the innings. Shahrukh Khan’s cameo was the key as they were able to post a total to fight for the match.

How did the chase pan out?

Before becoming Kagiso Rabada's 100th IPL wicket, Wriddhiman Saha assisted Gujarat Titans in maximizing the powerplay. After a strong start, the likes of Saha, Hardik Padnya departed in quick succession. 

David Miller joined the consistent Shubman Gill at the crease as he was timing the ball well and took the chase till the end. Punjab bowlers kept it tight till the end which meant that Gujarat Titans needed 13 runs off the last two overs. But the game was still hanging in the balance as Arshdeep Singh bowled tight over where he conceded only 6 runs which meant the visitors needed 7 off the final over.

The second ball of the final over saw the set batter Shubman Gill getting bowled out by Sam Curran. But the ever-so calm Rahul Tewatia, who is known for finishing tight games won them the game, once again took the team home. Gujarat Titans, as a result, won the game by five wickets. 

Fans react to another win for Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League : -