Sai Sudharsan kept his nerve with a composed 57 while pacers Mohammed Siraj, Jason Holder and Kagiso Rabada ripped through Punjab Kings, guiding Gujarat Titans to a four-wicket win in the final over of their IPL clash here on Sunday.
On a surface that gripped a touch, Gujarat were set a target of 164 that demanded a sensible pursuit, and Sudharsan provided exactly that with his 41-ball effort.
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Earlier, debutant Suryansh Shedge’s lively 57 had anchored PBKS to 163 for nine, a total that seemed unlikely when Siraj (2/28) and Holder (4/24) left them wobbling at 47 for five in 8.4 overs.
But in the duel between the two half-centurions, it was Sudharsan who ended up on the winning side. The outcome
ensured GT remained fifth on the table, though their points moved to 12, while PBKS held on to top spot with 13 points for the moment.
After captain Shubman Gill was dismissed early by Arshdeep Singh, Sudharsan steadied the reply and stitched a 53-run stand for the second wicket with Jos Buttler.
Buttler (25) took the aggressive route, dispatching Marco Jansen and Xavier Bartlett for a six apiece, the second blow an eye-catching scoop over the wicketkeeper.
However, the England batter failed to clear the inner ring against Vyshak Vijayakumar and offered a simple chance to Shreyas Iyer.
Sudharsan, though, stayed unflustered and brought up his third half-century of this IPL campaign from 37 balls.
The southpaw marked the milestone by cracking a couple of boundaries off Yuzvendra Chahal, but soon after, he mistimed a pull off Vysakh, and Bartlett held the catch on the boundary.
Rahul Tewatia’s dismissal tightened the contest further, leaving GT with 11 required from the final over.
Washington Sundar (40 not out, 23b) held firm, and he sealed the result with a deft scooped six off Marcus Stoinis.
Earlier in the evening, Shedge’s composed fifty was the backbone of the Punjab innings, but they still finished on 163 for nine.
That score had looked a long way off once Gujarat’s quicks hit their lengths from the outset.
Shedge’s 29-ball knock, however, became crucial as he combined with Stoinis (40) in a 79-run partnership for the sixth wicket, dragging Punjab away from a dire position.
Accustomed to rescue acts for Mumbai in domestic cricket, Shedge drew on that know-how in PBKS colours.
The right-hander refrained from reckless swings, respecting the conditions and the discipline shown by the GT seamers with their lines.
Yet he did not miss out when the bowlers erred, particularly in the 14th over sent down by Manav Suthar.
Shedge launched into him for 6, 6, 4, 4, 6, plundering 26 runs in that over and racing to his fifty in just 24 balls.
His stay ended soon afterwards when he edged Rabada (2/22) to Jos Buttler behind the stumps, triggering another slide for PBKS.
Earlier, Siraj, who has been consistently impressive this season, sparked the early collapse by removing Priyansh Arya and Cooper Connolly off consecutive deliveries in the opening over.
Arya cut Siraj straight to GT debutant Nishant Sandhu in the deep, while Connolly feathered an edge through to Buttler.
Prabhsimran Singh then failed to handle Rabada’s 152 kmph thunderbolt and lobbed a catch to Suthar inside the ring.
Holder continued the onslaught, sending back Nehal Wadhera and PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer, both wickets illustrating his suffocating accuracy.
Wadhera nicked through to wicketkeeper Buttler, and Shreyas, cramped for room, chopped Holder onto his stumps trying to steer to third man, plunging PBKS into chaos.
Marco Jansen provided late impetus with a couple of powerful strikes in the final over off Rashid Khan, nudging Punjab beyond the 160-run mark.
(With PTI Inputs)
