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The 18th match of IPL 2023 was played on 13th April between Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans. In this exciting match, GT won the contest with one ball remaining. Playing first, PBKS scored 153 runs for 8 wickets. The defending Champions achieved the target of 154 runs at the loss of 4 wickets in 19.5 overs.
This was the third win of Gujarat Titans in the 16th season of IPL. However, despite this victory, Captain Hardik Pandya was not very happy. He raised questions about the batting of the team and said that he isn't a fan of taking the game to the last over.
“To be very honest, I would not appreciate the game going this close from the situation we were in. There was definitely a lot for us to learn from this game. That’s the beauty of sports, it’s never over till it’s over. So we will go back to the drawing board. I think we can take a couple more risks in the middle overs. It will be a tough pill to swallow, taking it this close. Not a big fan of taking the game to the last over,” Hardik Pandya said during the post-match presentation ceremony on Thursday night.
Mohit and Alzarri bowled terrific: Hardik Pandya
After defeating Punjab Kings by 6 wickets, GT reached number three in the points table. They have played 4 matches in IPL 2023, out of which three have won and one has lost so far. However, Pandya appreciated GT speedsters, Alzarri Joseph and Mohit Sharma for bowling well. He also heaped praise on Mohit who joined them as a net bowler and now became player of the match in his very first match for GT.
“The wicket was good but because of the hardness of the soil and wicket, the ball was getting dried up. It was a belter when the new ball was playing. I was not surprised when Mohit and Alzarri came. They bowled terrific,” said Pandya.
“All credit to Mohit. To come to join us as a net bowler and then wait for his chance, knowing his time will come and today it came,” said the Gujarat Titans captain.