Punjab Kings claimed a massive win against Gujarat Titans on Thursday at the Narendra Modi Stadium to climb to the fifth position in the table as they successfully chased down the target of 200 on Thursday.
GT scored 199/4 in 20 overs thanks to skipper Shubman Gill’s unbeaten 89-run knock. However, Shashank Singh’s unbeaten 61 took PBKS over the line in stunning fashion.
PBKS skipper Shikhar Dhawan was all praise for the 32-year-old who stole the show on the night.
“It was an amazing game. Very, very close,” Dhawan began.
Dhawan, who usually provides his side an explosive start went back to the dugout early on the day as he fell prey to Umesh Yadav after scoring just a single run.
“Our boys did the job. The plan was to give a good start, but I got out early. We lost a few wickets early and Shashank came and played a tremendous knock,” he said.
“When you are chasing a big total, you have to keep the momentum going,” the Punjab skipper said.
Shashank came in to bat with Punjab reeling at 70/4 in the ninth over and took on the GT bowling attack from the get-go.
“Shashank showed his class. It was a magnificent knock. He timed the ball so nicely, that it looked effortless. He kept his cool and finished the game,” Dhawan hailed the batter.
Shashank, who usually comes in to bat at No.7, came up the order on the day and the gamble paid dividends as Punjab managed to scale the largest target yet in the ongoing season of the IPL.
“He started from No. 7 and is now showing his positive mindset,” the PBKS captain sais.
Shashank was ably supported by Ashutosh Sharma’s quickfire 31 off 17 deliveries after coming on as an impact player that restored faith in an otherwise crumbling innings and set the platform for the side to go on and clinch the game.
