Gujarat Titans openers Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan made a brisk start as they chased a 244-run target in their IPL season opener against Punjab Kings in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.
Batting first, PBKS posted a mammoth 243/5, powered by a blistering 97 off 42 balls from new skipper Shreyas Iyer, along with explosive knocks from opener Priyansh Arya and Shashank Singh at the death.
With just over 12 runs needed per over, the Titans duo raced to 50 in five overs, with Gill leading the charge.
However, his aggressive knock was cut short at 33 off 14 balls when Glenn Maxwell struck in the final over of the powerplay.
Sudharsan kept the scoreboard moving and was joined by veteran English wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler.
Shreyas, Shashank wreak havoc
Put into bat first by GT skipper Gill, the Kings raced to 73/1 at the end of the powerplay after some early damage from deubtant Araya, who opened alongside wicketkeeper Prabhsimran Singh.
The southpaw dominated early on, striking at over 200. He hammered seven fours and four sixes in a 23-ball 47 before falling to Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan in the seventh over.
Prabhsimran managed just five before being dismissed in the third over, but Shreyas kept the momentum going as Punjab aimed for a formidable total. He was joined by Afghan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai, who fell for 16 to Titans spinner Sai Kishore in the 11th over. Kishore struck twice in the same over, removing the explosive Glenn Maxwell for a first-ball duck, leaving PBKS in trouble at 105/4.
Undeterred, the Punjab skipper took on Kishore and Rashid, bringing up his half-century off 27 balls as he continued to dismantle the Titans’ attack. He was joined by Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis, who chipped in with a brisk 20 off 15 deliveries before Kishore claimed his third wicket in the 16th over.
Shreyas then stepped on the gas in the 17th over, taking Prasidh Krishna apart for 24 runs with three sixes and a boundary. Shashank Singh, a breakout star for PBKS last season, joined Iyer as the duo tore into the Titans’ attack, smashing 18 runs off Rashid in the 18th over.
Entering the final over, Iyer stood unbeaten on 97 off 42 deliveries at the non-striker’s end, eyeing a century on his Punjab Kings debut.
However, Shashank had other plans, taking apart Mohammed Siraj for 23 runs with five boundaries to propel PBKS to 243/5 as he finished unbeaten on 44 off just 16 balls.
