GT vs PBKS Highlights, IPL 2024: Shashank Singh powers Punjab Kings to a superb win as Shubman Gill’s knock is trumped

Shubman Gill on where things went wrong (not verbatim): Couple of catches went down, that didn't help. Never easy on a wicket like this when you drop catches. I think 200 was good enough. We were in the game till the 15th over. When you drop catches, you will be in trouble. The way Darshan bowled in the last match it was a -no- brainer for me to go to him for the last over. 

“It was a wrong name? You don’t want the player?” Mallika was heard asking the franchise representatives at the auction when they expressed their concern. “We are talking about Shashank Singh. But the hammer has come down. Player No. 236 and 237 both went to you.”

With Ness Wadia, also an owner of the franchise, furthermore expressed displeasure at the sale, Mallika would keep to her stance on the matter, “I think the hammer has come down for 237 (Shashank).”

The franchise have however issued a clarification on the matter, stating that they always wanted to bid for Shashank. “The Kings would like to clarify that the player was always on our target list. The confusion was due to 2 players of the same name being on the list. We are delighted to have him on board and see him contribute to our success,” Punjab wrote on their website.

"All cool," he said on social media. And he was all cool indeed tonight. Read more here.

Mohit Sharma’s back-of-the-hand slower ball took an eternity to rise after landing on the surface. Then it hung forever in the air. But Ashutosh Sharma, the impact player making an incredible impact, waited for an eternity too. Deep in the crease, as though he had read the mind of Mohit, his bat held flat like a hack-ready axe, his body already rotating to the leg-side. In the end it was a hack, a wild one at that, but Ashutosh froze his hands to not commit to the shot prematurely. And when the ball arrived he threw the proverbial kitchen sink at it. The timing was ordinary but it was so brutally hit that it sailed over the deep mid-wicket fence. It was the 34th six he had struck in just 16 games. The six off the second ball of the 19th over eased the nerves of Punjab fans; they now required 18 runs off 12 balls. Shashank whittled it down further with a six, and he wrapped up the chase in the last over with lots of guts and a slice of luck.

What a run-chase. For the longest part, it seemed like Punjab were behind the 8-ball. But Shashank Singh's superb 61* and Ashutosh Sharma's cameo as the Impact Sub powers them to a win. GT have lost their first match at home this season. 

PUNJAB KINGS WIN! It's the Shashank Redemption indeed. It's a leg bye, the Punjab batters complete a run. A review taken by GT but that was just a formality. 

SHASHANK SINGH HITS A FOUR! Not where he meant it, but it is a leading edge that goes over short-third's head and trickles to the fence for four. 

Is it another wide off a bouncer? Interesting that Darshan goes for the bouncer again. GT reviewed this, and this is likely to remain a wide. Oh wow, the TV umpire thinks that is a fair delivery had Harpreet stayed on his feet. Dot ball. Next delivery Harpreet does get off strike. 5 off 3 now. 

Too eager! Darshan bangs in one short and it is over Harpreet's head. Wide given. No challenge from GT. 

Harpreet Brar, more than capable with the bat, walks to the middle. Shashank stays off strike for now. 

Wow, Darshan Nalkande is given the ball. It's his first over of the night and he has to defend 7... and he gets a wicket off the first ball! Ashutosh finds the fielder at long on. 

SHASHANK SINGH! A six to finish the 19th over, smashes over square leg. Shashank nails this. Punjab are nearly there. Just 7 off 6 balls needed. 

When was the last time Rashid Khan was hit for three successive sixes? Two late bloomers, 32-year-old Shashank Singh and 30-year-old Jitesh Sharma accomplished this. The silken Singh slog-swept him, as elegant a slog-sweep could be, in the last ball of his third over. In the first ball of his fourth over, Sharma, still new at the crease, bludgeoned his slider over long off’s head, a stroke of pure power. An enraged Khan whipped in a wrong’un which Sharma was anticipating, and heaved heinously over mid-wicket. Not endowed with a muscular frame, Sharma generates incredible power with his bat-swing and transfer of weight. It could have been a fourth on the spin, but Jitesh mistimed a full toss, of all his variations, to the hands of deep midwicket. Khan could barely believe his luck as he celebrated his 50th wicket for Gujarat Titans. Khan has had an erratic start to the tournament, CSK thrashed him for 49 runs the other night, but Titans would believe that he strikes his lethal best better late than never.

Ashutosh! A six wide of long on as Mohit goes to his back-of-the-hand slower one. He has played a little blinder too. The win gets closer for Punjab. 

Mohit Sharma to bowl the all-important 19th over! This is going down to the wire. Can GT's death overs specialist deliver again? 

HALF CENTURY! Shashank Singh, the redemption arc is truly on. From the drama of the auction to this night, he is powering his side to a superb win. Ashutosh finishes that Omarzai over with a four, after getting a reprieve again. Sai Sudharsan with a terrific effort at long off but couldn't hold on. 

Omarzai into the attack and Ashutosh gets going! Two fours to start the 18th over. A full toss put over fine leg, then a ramp over the keeper's head 

Another drop! Umesh Yadav gets into a tangle while judging this, his backfoot planted and missing the flight of the ball. Ashutosh with a life. A one-short run earlier in the over. Mohit with another brilliant over in the death, really needed to backed up in the field. 41 off 18 now, which way is this going? 

Punjab finally use their Impact Sub. Ashutosh Sharma is the new man in, who has a T20 strike rate of 190+. Shashank still around. There is life in this yet. Rashid finishes with 1/40, not quite his night. 

OH DEAR! After hitting two sixes, Jitesh misses out on a full toss. That was there to be hit. But he sweeps it to the fielder at deep midwicket. Rashid finally strikes. It's turning out to be quite the rollercoaster. 

JITESH SHARMA! Two sixes in two balls as Rashid Khan is put under the pump. One over long off, one over long on. This is Punjab's to lose now? 

Uff, Shashank gives us another shot down the ground to remember today. Lovely lofted hit over mid-off of Mohit. The pacer nearly gets his man last ball, but an inside edge misses the stump. 

Shashank! Some strike that, picks up the slider from Rashid and deposits over square leg for six. What a knock this has been. (The Shashank Redemption headlines will write themselves if he takes his side past the finish line). 

This is a little gem of an innings from Shashank. He has raced to 32 off 13 balls. A lovely ramp shot for four in that Mohit over. A great fielding effort by Noor prevented a certain boundary. 

MOHIT SHARMA INTO THE ATTACK, MOHIT SHARMA STRIKES. His terrific season continues. Hard length, banging into the pitch, change of pace too. And Raza gets an outside edge to Saha. 

That is another top over for Punjab as Shashank hits a four through midwicket off Noor. The Afghan leftie finishes with 2/30. The momentum shifting ever so slightly here. 

BIG OVER! Well, well. Not over yet. Umesh should have had a wicket of Raza in that over, instead Shashank smashes 4-6-4 off the last three balls to rub salt into the pacer's wounds. 

TWO LIVES IN TWO BALLS! First, a tough one for Noor at short-fine as he throws himself to his right. But next ball Omarzai had a better chance at deep point. Raza survives, Umesh unlucky. 

At the halfway stage, PBKS are not far away from where GT where. But they don't have a well-set batter in the middle and are struggling here for the most part. GT think they have Shashank out LBW in that over, Shubman goes for the review but that googly from Noor was spinning wide. Shashank hits a six over long off later in that over. 

Shashank Singh joins Raza in the middle and this PBKS run-chase is heading nowhere. 

WICKET! Soft dismissal. Sam Curran never got going and it is the Afghan show for GT. Omarzai gets the wicket, as Curran finds midwicket with effortless ease. 

Sikandar Raza will stay busy here but PBKS need some momentum, a couple of big overs. Remember, there is no Livingstone. Another top over from Noor. 

PRABHSIMRAN FALLS! It's a 2nd wicket for Noor and this Punjab run-chase could be derailing quickly here. It's another one of those pretty innings from Prabhsimran but not enough volume of runs. He slices one to Mohit at backward point. 

Despite another four for Prabhsimran off Rashid, it's a 7-run over only. 

A big part of GT's defence would have depended on getting the PBKS openers early and they have achieved that target. Their spinners and Mohit Sharma will now be strong favourites to defend this. Curran joins Singh in the middle. 

NOOR STRIKES! First ball wicket for the 2nd Afghan spinner in the side. Good drift on this one, but it is on the pads and Bairstow really should have done better. Just missed it completely through the gate. 

Lovely shot from Prabhsimran, realises Rashid tends to prefer the one going with the arm, gives himself room and cuts one past point for four. PBKS' No 3 looks good here. 

Rashid comes in early. GT realising the need to break Punjab's chase early. 

Prabhsimran gets going! Starts Umesh Yadav's over with a six over midwicket. Then charges down the ground and smashes one down the ground for four. Two lovely shots there. But nearly a wicket off the last ball as Bairstow chops one, away from the stumps though. 

Another drive through cover by Bairstow off Omarzai for four. The English opener needs to go big for PBKS here. 

A decent over for GT, the wicket of Dhawan by Umesh the big deal there. Prabhsimran is in at No 3 and gets a four off the last ball. 

UMESH STRIKES! First-ball wicket for the pacer. Soft dismissal, Dhawan just plays on to a short ball that was angled away from him. He walks back with a wry smile. Early strike for GT. 

A streaky four for Bairstow as Noor misfields a ball at third man. Should've kept Bairstow off strike but instead the Englishman helps himself to two more fours in the over past midoff. Omarzai beat him with an inswinger but good over for PBKS. 

Omarzai will start off with his seam-up stuff. Dhawan and Bairstow in the middle. GT have used the Impact Sub to bring in Mohit Sharma in place of Tewatia. 

65 runs in the last 5 overs as Gujarat Titans nearly breach the 200-mark for the first time at home this season. Williamson says there's not much dew as of now, if that doesn't change, GT have enough against a Livingstone-less Punjab lineup. Should have enough. 

STRONG FINISH! No century for Gill but Gujarat post a strong finish thanks to Rahul Tewatia smashing a 4 and 6 off the last two balls. Arshdeep missed his lengths there again. 23 (8 balls) for Tewatia. Gill with a fabulous 89* off 48 balls.

Halfway through the over, it's been a decent one from Arshdeep. Tewatia misses out on a full toss. Gill back on strike. 

Gill on strike for the last over, he is on 85. GT need 14 more for 200. Arshdeep to bowl. 

HUGE OVER! Harshal once again goes for plenty in the end. A few wides in that over as he tries to beat Tewatia with the angle. A six and a four for the left-hander as he plays the field to perfection. Gill takes a three of the last ball, putting in a massive dive to complete the third. 20-run over. 

Where there's a ???? there's a way ?#GTvPBKS #TATAIPL #IPLonJioCinema #TATAIPLinBhojpuri pic.twitter.com/AXKEwzqiUH

— JioCinema (@JioCinema) April 4, 2024

Another Ahmedabad century on the cards for Gill? He is on 80, on strike in the 19th over. Harshal to bowl. 

WICKET! Hard to disagree with Deep Dasgupta on air, that is a wicket that GT shouldn't mind. Actually, was strange to not send Tewatia ahead of Vijay Shankar. The TN man is out caught at long off. 

SHUBMAN GILL! Goodness that is just gorgeous. Takes on Rabada once more, smashes a flick over midwicket for a six. Follows that up with a tennis shot, smashing down the ground for four. 

Shot! Superb from Gill again. Harshal digs one into the pitch, but Gill is ready for this, pulls it over long on for six. Read the length so early. Bad back, but nothing bad about that shot. 

We are good to go after Gill's treatment is done. Harshal to start off this final phase. 

A good over from Arshdeep, no boundaries at this stage is a solid set of six balls. Vijay Shankar has joined Gill in the middle. Remember they don't have Miller today. They need someone to go big.... and now Gill is getting treatment on his lower back, that's not a good sign. 

HALF CENTURY FOR GILL! As we had been saying in the pre-match discussions, Gill was due a big one in Ahmedabad. After a couple of thirties, the GT captain gets to his first fifty of the season, with a four off Brar. It's been a fine innings, almost chanceless. Gets there off just 31 balls. 

Shubman Gill's strokeplay has always been his biggest strength. There is an air of elegance to the shots he plays, the touch of a batter who understands his strengths well and is also blissfully self-aware of how classical he can be. Which is why the shot he played against Rabada in Ahmedabad would have pleased him so much. 

First, context. Rabada is one of the best bowlers in the world, and in this IPL, he has been used as a wicket-taking option at various parts of the innings, not necessarily in a set template. So when he comes on to bowl, Punjab are usually banking on a breakthrough, meaning Gill could have possibly played him out.

Next, the brilliance. It was a perfectly good delivery from Rabada, on a pitch that was two-paced, where hitting through the length could be risky. But Gill shuffled across, planted his front foot forward and hit through the line, with wonderfully high elbows. Of course, he held the pose too for good measure as the ball went for six. A shot of the tournament contender.

Kane Williamson was unusually aghast, at himself more than the world. The moment when his mistimed cut shot off Harpreet Brar ended in the palms of Jonny Bairstow—beaten by the extra bounce of the left-arm spinner—the New Zealand talisman with a poet’s beard and coroner’s coolness cursed himself. He regained his nature in a split-second, but you could sense he was horribly gutted with the way he got after strolling to 26. There was a resolve about his game—he would glide out of his crease often, and once square-drove Kagiso Rabada through cover point for his first four. Later, he punched Sam Curran through covers, a shot of authority rather than elegance. The ball before he got out, he sashayed down the track and drove his inside out over cover, a prelude to how he would bat in the Test series later this year. He was penning a miniature poem on T20 batting. An ode to T20 batting by a classicist, before Brar cut short the joy of Williamson as well as those that were watching him. The cut is one of his favorite strokes, but he didn’t account for the bounce from the six feet two inches left-arm spinner.

HARSHAL STRIKES! A fine partnership has been broken. Sai has been in good touch throughout this tournament but tonight he was playing at a fine tempo too. But he perishes trying to take Harshal's short ball on. Guides one to Jitesh and starts walking before the umpire's call.