After losing a final-ball thriller at the hands of former champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) returned to winning ways as Hardik Pandya and Co. outclassed Punjab Kings (PBKS) in another humdinger of an encounter at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 on Thursday. In a match where power-hitter Rahul Tewatia propelled Pandya’s men to an impressive win, senior fast bowler Mohit Sharma made his debut for Gujarat Titans.
Mohit, who was a part of MS Dhoni’s Word Cup side in the 2015 edition of the ICC event, last played an IPL match for Delhi Capitals in 2020 before his GT debut. Making a sensational return to IPL cricket in match No.18 of the league stage at Mohali, pacer Mohit returned to brilliant figures of 2/18 to help Gujarat Titans restrict the hosts to a below-par total. The Indian speedster bowled the penultimate over of Punjab’s innings and leaked only six runs.
Speaking to the official broadcaster of the IPL 2023, GT star Mohit reflected on his dream return to domestic cricket’s biggest extravaganza. Pacer Mohit also credited GT head coach Ashish Nehra for helping him in scripting his comeback this season. Nehra’s GT franchise had bid for the veteran fast bowler, who also featured as a net bowler for Gujarat Titans last season.
Punjab Kings (20 ovs maximum)
| BATTING | R | B | M | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prabhsimran Singh | c Rashid Khan b Mohammed Shami | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Shikhar Dhawan (c) | c Joseph b Little | 8 | 8 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Matthew Short | b Rashid Khan | 36 | 24 | 38 | 6 | 1 | 150.00 |
| Bhanuka Rajapaksa | c Shubman Gill b Joseph | 20 | 26 | 73 | 1 | 0 | 76.92 |
| Jitesh Sharma † | c †Saha b Sharma | 25 | 23 | 29 | 5 | 0 | 108.69 |
| Sam Curran | c Shubman Gill b Sharma | 22 | 22 | 33 | 1 | 1 | 100.00 |
| M Shahrukh Khan | run out (Miller/†Saha) | 22 | 9 | 19 | 1 | 2 | 244.44 |
| Harpreet Brar | not out | 8 | 5 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 160.00 |
| Rishi Dhawan | run out (†Saha) | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Extras | (lb 2, w 9) | 11 | |||||
| TOTAL | 20 Ov (RR: 7.65) | 153/8 | |||||
| Did not bat: Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh | |||||||
| Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Prabhsimran Singh, 0.2 ov), 2-28 (Shikhar Dhawan, 3.2 ov), 3-55 (Matthew Short, 6.4 ov), 4-92 (Jitesh Sharma, 12.2 ov), 5-115 (Bhanuka Rajapaksa, 16.5 ov), 6-136 (Sam Curran, 18.1 ov), 7-152 (M Shahrukh Khan, 19.4 ov), 8-153 (Rishi Dhawan, 19.6 ov) • DRS |
| BOWLING | O | M | R | W | ECON | 0s | 4s | 6s | WD | NB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohammed Shami | 4 | 0 | 44 | 1 | 11.00 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Josh Little | 4 | 0 | 31 | 1 | 7.75 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Alzarri Joseph | 4 | 0 | 32 | 1 | 8.00 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| Rashid Khan | 4 | 0 | 26 | 1 | 6.50 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Mohit Sharma | 4 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 4.50 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Gujarat Titans (T: 154 runs from 20 ovs)
| BATTING | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wriddhiman Saha † | c Short b Rabada | 30 | 19 | 5 | 0 | 157.89 |
| Shubman Gill | b Curran | 67 | 49 | 7 | 1 | 136.73 |
| Sai Sudharsan | c Prabhsimran Singh b Arshdeep Singh | 19 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 95.00 |
| Hardik Pandya (c) | c Curran b Harpreet Brar | 8 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 72.72 |
| David Miller | not out | 17 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 94.44 |
| Rahul Tewatia | not out | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 250.00 |
| Extras | (lb 8) | 8 | ||||
| TOTAL | 19.5 Ov (RR: 7.76) | 154/4 | ||||
| Did not bat: Rashid Khan, Alzarri Joseph, Mohammed Shami, Mohit Sharma, Josh Little | ||||||
| Fall of wickets: 1-48 (Wriddhiman Saha, 4.4 ov), 2-89 (Sai Sudharsan, 11.2 ov), 3-106 (Hardik Pandya, 14.2 ov), 4-148 (Shubman Gill, 19.2 ov) • DRS |
| BOWLING | O | M | R | W | ECON | 0s | 4s | 6s | WD | NB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arshdeep Singh | 4 | 0 | 33 | 1 | 8.25 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kagiso Rabada | 4 | 0 | 36 | 1 | 9.00 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Harpreet Brar | 4 | 0 | 20 | 1 | 5.00 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sam Curran | 3.5 | 0 | 25 | 1 | 6.52 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rahul Chahar | 3 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 8.00 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Matthew Short | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 8.00 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
MATCH FLOW
- Punjab Kings innings
- Powerplay 1: Overs 0.1 – 6.0 (Mandatory – 52 runs, 2 wickets)
- Over 3.1: Review by Gujarat Titans (Bowling), Decision Challenged – Wicket, Umpire – A Totre, Batter – S Dhawan (Struck down)
- Punjab Kings: 50 runs in 5.4 overs (34 balls), Extras 6
- Strategic Timeout: Punjab Kings – 52/2 in 6.0 overs (MW Short 35, PBB Rajapaksa 3)
- Over 12.2: Review by Gujarat Titans (Bowling), Decision Challenged – Wicket, Umpire – J Madanagopal, Batter – JM Sharma (Upheld)
- Over 13.1: Review by Gujarat Titans (Bowling), Decision Challenged – Wicket, Umpire – A Totre, Batter – PBB Rajapaksa (Struck down)
- Strategic Timeout: Punjab Kings – 99/4 in 15.0 overs (PBB Rajapaksa 18, SM Curran 4)
- Punjab Kings: 100 runs in 15.2 overs (92 balls), Extras 8
- Over 16.3: Review by Punjab Kings (Batting), Decision Challenged – Wide, Umpire – J Madanagopal, Batter – SM Curran (Struck down)
- Punjab Kings: 150 runs in 19.3 overs (117 balls), Extras 10
- Innings Break: Punjab Kings – 153/8 in 20.0 overs (Harpreet Brar 8)
- Gujarat Titans innings
- Powerplay 1: Overs 0.1 – 6.0 (Mandatory – 56 runs, 1 wicket)
- Gujarat Titans: 50 runs in 4.6 overs (30 balls), Extras 1
- Strategic Timeout: Gujarat Titans – 78/1 in 9.0 overs (Shubman Gill 35, B Sai Sudharsan 12)
- Gujarat Titans: 100 runs in 13.5 overs (83 balls), Extras 5
- Shubman Gill: 50 off 40 balls (6 x 4)
- Strategic Timeout: Gujarat Titans – 120/3 in 16.0 overs (Shubman Gill 52, DA Miller 5)
- Over 18.6: Review by Punjab Kings (Bowling), Decision Challenged – Wicket, Umpire – J Madanagopal, Batter – DA Miller (Struck down)
- Gujarat Titans: 150 runs in 19.4 overs (118 balls), Extras 8
