Punjab Kings beat Mumbai Indians by 13 runs in their Indian Premier League match here on Saturday.
Invited to bat, Punjab Kings piled up 214 for 8 with Sam Curran, the highest paid overseas recruit, smashing 55 off 29 balls and adding 92 for the fifth wicket in just eight overs with Harpreet Bhatia (41 off 28 balls). National T20 team contender Jitesh Sharma (25 off 7 balls) also upped the ante towards the end.
For MI, leg-spinner Piyush Chawla (2/15 in 3 overs) was the best bowler with all the pacers getting more or less hammered.
Chasing a big target of 215, MI could score only 201 for 6 in their 20 overs.
Cameron Green top-scored for MI with 67 whie Suryakumar Yadav and captain Rohit Sharma chipped in with 57 and 44 respectively. For PBKS, Arshdeep Singh was the most successful bowler with figures of 4/29.
Brief Scores
Punjab Kings: 214 for 8 in 20 overs (Sam Curran 55, Harpreet Bhatia 41; Piyush Chawla 2/15).
Mumbai Indians: 201 for 6 in 20 overs (Cameron Green 67, Suryakumar Yadav 57, Rohit Sharma 44; Arshdeep Singh 4/29).
Gujarat stuns Lucknow with 7-run victory
Veteran pacer Mohit Sharma bowled a splendid final over in Gujarat Titans’ seven-run victory over Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League on Saturday.
With the hosts needing 12 off the last six balls, Sharma dismissed Lokesh Rahul on 68 and Marcus Stoinis for a first-ball duck before helping out with two run-outs as Lucknow crashed from 126-3 to 128-7 (20 overs) and fell short of Gujarat’s 135-6 (20 overs) in a stunning manner.
Opting to bat on a slow, low surface, Gujarat got off to a poor start and lost Shubman Gill for a two-ball duck.
Skipper Hardik Pandya batted at number three and put on 68 runs with Wriddhiman Saha.
Saha scored 47 off 37 balls, hitting six fours, and provided the early impetus to the Titans’ innings even as Pandya held one end together. The spinners didn’t allow them to score freely with left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya, Hardik’s elder brother, picking 2-16 in four overs.
Wrist spinner Amit Mishra also picked 1-9 in two overs, but didn’t get to finish his spell.
After Saha fell to Krunal Pandya, Hardik took charge of the innings but didn’t find much support from the other Gujarat batsmen as they found the going tough on a slow-paced wicket.
The Gujarat skipper, who reached 50 off 44 balls, then unleashed four sixes at the death to take his team to a competitive total.
In reply, Lucknow got off to a quick start as Rahul put on 55 runs off 39 balls with Kyle Mayers (24).
Rahul reached his half-century off 38 balls, including eight fours, and despite losing Mayers put on another 51 runs with Krunal Pandya (23).
Lucknow was in pole position at that time, as Gujarat’s spinners didn’t have the same impact. Rashid Khan proved expensive with 1-33 in four overs.
Rahul slowed down at the home stretch, though, scoring 18 runs off the next 23 balls faced. It turned the game in Gujarat’s favor as Lucknow scored 19 runs in five overs during the death.
Needing 12, Rahul was caught at square leg before Stoinis was out caught at long on. Gujarat applied a further squeeze as four wickets in the final over at the cost of only four runs.
Overall, Lucknow lost six wickets for 22 runs in the space of 32 balls to hand Gujarat its fourth win in six games.
