Punjab Kings vs Gujarat Titans Highlights, IPL 2023: Rahul Tewatia finishes a final over thriller, GT win by six wickets

Shikhar Dhawan: Agree with you on that thing. We did not put many runs on the board. We have to rectify that thing going forward. Absolutely - if you see the number of dot balls, if a team plays 56 balls, you end up losing the game. Losing early wickets puts you on the back foot and we need to work on that. Very proud of the bowlers, it was not a big total and taking the game till the end was tremendous. He came for practice yesterday, he pulled his muscle and another 2-3 days, he should be good to go (on Liam Livingstone).

Sriram Veera: An extraordinary fielding effort at covers from a diving Rishi Dhawan turned a four to 1 off the first ball of the final over from Sam Curran. Needing 6 from 5 balls, Shubman Gill fell swinging across the line to a length delivery that skidded on to knock out the off stump. He curled in a superb yorker but Rahul Tewatia sent it to long-on for a single. With 5 from 3, came another crashing yorker and David Miller failed to connect, and the ball popped off his pad behind the stumps. Tewatia wanted the single, Miller stalled but responded just in time and with the in-rushing keeper going for the striker’s end, they were through. 

Now, Kagiso Rabada had a word with Curran. 4 from the final two balls. Curran abandoned the yorker and went for a length ball on the middle stump but Tewatia, a noun, a verb, and a IPL emotion, shuffled outside off, went down on his knee, to lap it over short fine-leg. “Sometimes, you come across Rahul Tewatia and there is nothing you can do,” Tewatia’s great fan Graeme Swann would say on air.

What an over this was. The piece of fielding, the wicket and then a low full toss to Tewatia, who couldn't latch onto it and a picture perfect yorker to David Miller. Four needed off the last two, and Tewatia moves outside off stump to scoop it behind for four. A wonderful finish to the game but Gujarat Titans win by six wickets.

Wow! A brilliant bit of fielding from Rishi Dhawan to save a possible boundary and then, Sam Curran cleans up Shubman Gill from over the wicket. Off stump, dislocated. Do we have a twist in the tale? Six needed off the last four balls.

Gujarat seemed to have one hand on two points at the beginning of the penultimate over but Arshdeep Singh kept his cool and nailed the yorkers well to take it into the last over. Seven runs needed off the last over. Sam Curran has the ball.

"Good grief! Silky smooth and dynamic power. How do you generate both of that in one shot?"

Ian Bishop was shell shocked on-air. "Rabada has barely done anything wrong this over but he's already gone per the required rate," added Simon Doull. Banged in short, Gill flows his bat at it and it flies over deep midwicket for six. An 81-metre six. David Miller wraps up the over with swipe down for four. 141/3 after 18 overs. 13 required off the last 12 deliveries.

Sam Curran goes short to Shubman Gill and the latter brings out a forehand smash from his armoury of illustrious shots. Four runs. Even Sam Curran looked mildly impressed by that. Nine runs off the over. 129/3 after 17 overs. 25 needed off the last three overs.

Sriram Veera: A pacy Kagiso Rabada lifter was too quick for Hardik Pandya. It climbed on him, blurred past his attempted pull, grazed his helmet and flew to the third man boundary. He was fine though, smiling and hugging the physio who had rushed out. Rabada didn’t follow-up well, though, serving a half-volley that was gorgeously creamed through wide mid-off. Hardik knew the aesthetic quality of the shot and held his pose for a while. His off drive has a lovely old-school aesthetic about it - none of these modern-day punch-drives and jabs, but a fluent silken swing of the bat. A kind of an off-drive that will look good even if he were just shadow batting. But in the next over, the 15th of the innings, from Harpreet Brar the left-arm spinner, Pandya holed out with an heave-ho to long-on.

Rahul Chahar returns for a third over. Uppish from David Miller but safe as the ball flies past Shikhar Dhawan for a double. Shubman Gill lofts one over covers to bring up his fifty with a four. A second half century for the Gujarat opener this season. Nine runs come off the over. 120/3 after 16.

Harpreet Brar over the wicket to the Gujarat captain. Angles it to the stumps and Pandya slogs it straight to Sam Curran at long on. Just the six runs come off the over. Gujarat, 111/3 after 15. 43 needed off the last 30 deliveries.

Hardik Pandya is taking his time to read the wicket. Hasn't been as batting friendly as was thought at the toss. Kagiso Rabada offers some much needed freebies. Banged in short and four leg byes down third man. The Gujarat captain closes the over with an exquisite cover drive for four. 105/2 after 14 overs. 49 needed off 36 deliveries.

Does feel like it. Harpreet Brar has delivered another stunning over to keep the run rate in check. Just the four singles come off it. 95/2 after 13 overs.

Sai Sudharsan hasn't looked his confident best in the middle tonight and a short one from Arshdeep Singh forces him to pull towards the longer boundary. Prabhsimran Singh claims the catch. Good over that from the left-armer. A wicket and just three runs given. 91/2 after 12 overs.

Matthew Short into the attack. Sai Sudharsan picks it and dispatches over the bowler's head for four. A wider. length delivery keeps low and almost induces an edge for a caught behind. Eight runs come off the over. 89/1 after 11 overs.

Harpreet Brar replaces Sam Curran and bowls the most economical over of the innings so far. Starts off with an appeal as the ball kept low and Gill missed it outside off. No review and a good decision as the UltraEdge shows no spike as the ball passes the bat. Just a couple of runs from the over. Gujarat are 80/2 at the halfway stage.

Shubman Gill bends his knees and places Chahar down third man for four. Off the first delivery. Full and wide later in the over and Gill pounces onto it with a clean loft over extra cover for six. Good over that for the defending champions. 11 off it. 78/1 after nine overs. Strategic timeout signaled by the umpire.

Brilliant intent from Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan to steal a couple of runs, where it shouldn't even have been one. A gentle nudge from Gill towards mid off, a diving save but not a clean take enables the duo to run two. It's been 18 balls since the last boundary but Gujarat very much the favorites so far. 67/1 after eight overs.

Rahul Chahar comes on from the other end. Caters to the good length, leaving little width for either of the batters to pounce on. Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan negotiate the over for five singles. 61/1 after seven overs.

Sam Curran into the attack. Comes over the wicket and puts a seal on the flow of runs towards the end of the powerplay. Gujarat very much in the driver's seat in this chase. 56/1 after six overs.

Following that disaster of an over, spin had been introduced in the fourth over by Punjab. To no avail, as Wriddhiman Saha added another boundary to his tally. It is Kagiso Rabada who brings Punjab their first breakthrough. A short one, a pull shot and a catch at deep backward square leg. 

Gujarat's in-form batter, Sai Sudharsan finds a boundary off Kagiso Rabada past point for four. Fifty up for Punjab. 52/1 after five overs.

The early onslaught from the Gujarat openers continues. Wriddhiman Saha takes the attack to Arshdeep Singh. Four boundaries off the over. A cover drive, a whip to clear mid-on, a top edge down fine leg for four and an open faced shot down third man for another. Edges one off the last ball and it almost carries to Jitesh Sharma. 16 off the over, 36/0 after three overs.

Kagiso Rabada with his first over of the season. Wriddhiman Saha leans into a picture perfect drive between covers and mid-off for four. Shubman Gill wraps up the over with a clip off a length delivery for his second boundary. 18/0 after two overs.

We are back for the chase and Wriddhiman Saha and Shubman Gill are at the crease. Saha is on strike. Arshdeep Singh will open the attack. And after a single, Gill has started strongly with a four off the second delivery. GT 7/0 after 1 over

Harpreet Brar with the muscle hit straight down the ground off Josh Little's second delivery. Six. A bit of tag-team field blooper from Hardik Pandya offers Brar and Shahrukh Khan to run for a second and the latter is run out by Saha at the striker's end as a result. A fantastic diving stop from Saha off the last ball, followed by a direct hit to run out Rishi Dhawan. Punjab finish at 153/8.

Another slower, short ball from Mohit Sharma and Sam Curran locates the same fielder at the same position as Bhanuka Rajapaksa did off Alzarri Joseph a couple overs back. Shubman Gill at deep mid-wicket. Punjab lose a sixth wicket. 

Goes for the same delivery to Shahrukh Khan, who upper cuts it down the third man for four. Takes a single and retains strike for the last over. 142/6 after 19 overs.

Sam Curran goes outside the leg stump and gets the toe end of his bat to place the ball past Saha for four. Shahrukh Khan gets another maximum to wrap up a second straight over. This time down long on. 15 come off that Mohammed Shami over. 136/5 after 18 overs.

Alzarri Joseph gets a much deserved wicket. A low full toss from around the wicket and Bhanuka Rajapaksa tries to play the Sam Curran whip from the last over but it carries straight to the fielder at deep mid-wicket. Shubman Gill with the safe pair of hands. 

On comes Shahrukh Khan. Gets served a short one and clears the deep mid-wicket fence with ease. A six to get off the mark. 121/5 after 17 overs.

Sam Curran with a magnificent front foot whip off Rashid Khan that travels all the way over deep mid-wicket for six. He's still is 13 off 15 deliveries and will need a few more of those to propel Punjab to a respectable total. 100 up, at last. End of Rashid's spell, 1/26 tonight. After 16 overs, the hosts are 109/4.

Sam Currant at the other end has been unable to get going as well. Another good over from Mohit Sharma, who has really come as a surprise pack after recent struggles with injury. Just the three runs off his third over. 99/4 after 15 overs and the umpire signals for strategic timeout. 

Bhanuka Rajapaksa struggles against Gujarat's numero uno with the ball. An lbw shout out off the first delivery. Hardik Pandya isn't convinced but goes upstairs again. Ball tracker suggest the impact is outside leg and Gujarat are out of reviews. A quick one that whiskers past an open faced bat off the penultimate delivery. The last one is missed as well and almost affects the off stump. 96/4 after 14 overs.

Mohit Sharma from the other end again. Off his fourth delivery, Wriddhiman Saha appeals for a caught behind. Hardik Pandya is unsure but goes with his keeper's call. A review and the UltraEdge shows a clear spike. 

Sam Curran the new man in. Another fine over for Gujarat and Punjab are four down for 94 after 13 overs.

Mohammed Shami replaces Alzarri Joseph. Short one to begin and Jitesh Sharma stands his ground to smash him down the ground for four. A straight drive attempt later is edged behind for a four down fine leg. Much needed boundaries for Punjab. 91/3 after 12 overs.

Mohit Sharma, who makes his debut for Gujarat comes into attack. You remember him, don't you? A former Chennai, Delhi and Punjab bowler is now with the defending champions. 

In his first over, doesn't offer much room barring the slow-short one that Rajapaksa pulls behind for four. Six off the over. 81/3 after 11 overs. 

Gujarat have been cramping Punjab for runs since that Short dismissal. Alzarri Joseph has squeezed the run flow from the other end. Another miserly six set of deliveries from the Caribbean quick. Just four runs off it. After 10 overs, Punjab are 75/3.

Rashid Khan into his second over. Jitesh Sharma picks him on the leg side again. A similar shot that got him off the mark in the leggie's last over. Slightly short and a thumping pull follows for four through deep mid wicket. Eight come off the over. 71/3, Punjab after nine overs.

Two new batters in the middle and Alzarri Joseph pins more pressure on Punjab with an economical second over this evening. Just the four runs come off it. Punjab, 63/3 after eight overs.

Good time to bring in the leg spinners. And he provides the breakthrough to tighten their grip. Googly and the aussie couldn't pick it. Cleaned up! A third wicket for Gujarat.

Jitesh Sharma comes on to accompany Bhanuka Rajapaksa in the middle and pulls Rashid off the last ball for four. 59/3 after seven overs.

Sriram Veera: For years, Matt Short has been grappling with self doubts. A big hitter, a more than useful offspinner, a very good slip-catcher but something didn’t click. Until couple of years ago, when his domestic team’s coach Chris Rogers, former Australian batsman, called him over for a chat and sprinkled in McCullum’s ‘Bazball’ theory.
“In previous years I'd probably dwell on that a little bit too much. In Shield cricket I've really struggled with adapting to different situations. And I go into my shell a little bit, blocking my ability to try and score and probably being a bit too defensive at times," Short told the Unplayable Podcast. In T20 in BBL, he has been smashing them. 
He punched Mohammad Shami on the up through the off a few times though the eye-catching one would be the crunched pulled six off Alzaari Joseph in the 5th over. 
“Now if I get dropped, it's like, 'nah, bugger it, just keep playing shots, (I'm) still out there and get another opportunity’. So taking the positive option rather than going into my shell, it's been a really big one, and just not dwelling on the previous ball or previous over and just keep going with … Just being freed up, I might play a rash shot here and there or I might play and miss or nick one and get dropped in the slips.”
Bazball is beginning to show its effects in Australia as well.

Little continues for a third over. Matthew Short keeps the boundaries coming. Pitched up and straight and a straight drive down the ground for four. Fifty up for Punjab. 52/2 after six overs.

Sriram Veera: Shikhar Dhawan falls, moving down the track to a seamer. It doesn’t happen often. Usually, when he goes down the track, unlike many, Dhawan doesn’t try to smash the ball. He gets into a position from where he manoeuvres the ball either up and over or through gaps. He can go over off or on the leg side, twisting his body into position from where he unfurls the pick-up shot over leg or a more expansive drive through off. And that’s what he was looking exactly to do against Joshua Little in the 4th over. Down he went the track, twisted his body, and tried to pick-up the length ball over wide mid-on but instead, ended up miscuing a catch to mid-on.

Alzarri Joseph replaces Shami. The Carribean has been clocking up the pace. A 148.3kph back of a length delivery on the middle and leg, and Matthew Short helps it with a glance for four. One that's slightly lower is picked up by the Aussie and dispatched over deep mid wicket for six. 12 off the over. 42/2 after five overs. 

Jos Little continues from over the wicket to Dhawan and the Punjab captain, looking to flick it over deep mid wicket, miscues it and is caught with a good running-back catch from Alzarri Joseph. Big wicket this for Gujarat. Dhawan goes for 8 off 8. Punjab, 30/2 after four overs.

"Almost the forearms of a blacksmith," claims Ian Bishop as the 2022/23 Big Bash League MVP whams Mohammed Shami through covers for a first boundary. Another one follows, this time more towards point. A third straight over with two boundaries. 11 come off this one. 27/1 after three.

Left arm pacer from the other end. Josh Little makes a return back in the XI after being dropped against Kolkata. Goes over the wicket to Shikhar Dhawan and finds movement off the first ball, which whizzes past the southpaw. A fine slice from the Punjab captain over covers to negate the swing by advancing down the track a little. Four runs. Another sweet contact with the ball to execute a majestic drive through covers. 16/1 after two overs. 

Took Gujarat's prime new ball bowler just the two deliveries to bag a first wicket. Prabhsimran Singh, looking to flick a back of a length delivery, perfectly locates Rashid Khan in the inner ring. A second straight duck for the Punjab opener. 

Back to back boundaries for the incoming batter, Matthew Short. Punjab, 8/1 after the first over.

Two wins and a defeat. That's been the journey in IPL 2023 so far for both these teams. A third win in the offering as they face off in Mohali. Shikhar Dhawan and Prabhsimran Singh walk out in the middle to open the innings for Punjab. Mohammed Shami has the new ball. 

Here are the subs for the two teams: 

Punjab Kings: Sikandar Raza, Harpreet Singh Bhatia, Rahul Chahar, Atharva Taide, Gurnoor Brar

Gujarat Titans: Vijay Shankar, Shivam Mavi, Jayant Yadav, Abhinav Manohar, Srikar Bharat

Sai Sudharsan: Happy that I have been contributing for the team. We are not going with the results, we are focusing on what things to be done right, taking forward according to that. Getting used to the situation, adapting to different conditions, different bowlers and how to tactically move forward, I am learning those things with every game. I haven't played with Kohli yet, but I will enjoy talking to him once we play against them (RCB). I had a conversation with Kane Williamson as well, picking up things from great minds. Very happy to have conversations with such legends of the game, grateful for these opportunities.

Punjab Kings: Prabhsimran Singh, Shikhar Dhawan(c), Matthew Short, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jitesh Sharma(w), Sam Curran, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Kagiso Rabada, Rishi Dhawan, Arshdeep Singh

Gujarat Titans: Wriddhiman Saha(w), Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Hardik Pandya(c), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Alzarri Joseph, Mohammed Shami, Mohit Sharma, Joshua Little.

Hardik Pandya: Bowling first. Just looks like a good wicket, and from whatever I've seen it's good to chase. Was a one-in-a-million defeat. We are a kind of team that takes it with a smile. Played good cricket until that last over. It happens. It's a fresh game. We'll come out and smile, and throw some punches. I don't know (any changes?). It's there in the paper.

Shikhar Dhawan: Doesn't bother us. Were looking to bowl first. We have been playing good cricket. Quite normal to go through this in cricket. Won't be the first time or the last (loss against SRH). Looking forward to put up a great show. Two changes - Rabada coming in for Nathan. Bhanuka coming in for Raza.

Hardik Pandya has won the toss and Gujarat Titans opt to bowl first.

Rashid Khan: Feels good to play at this venue, we have had some good games here, and also a few bad ones. As a player I enjoy a lot playing at this ground and I'm also enjoying playing for Gujarat Titans. For the first time, Gujarat is playing at different grounds and different pitches across India. I was the Player of the Match the first time I played in Mohali. Lot of memories here. I always try to focus on my strengths, the size of the grounds doesn't matter. I try to bowl in right areas. I have worked on my batting and I get a lot of opportunity at the Titans.

"The pitch is an absolute beauty, not for the bowlers but for the batters," reckons Murali Karthik. "Quite a good covering of grass here. Would probably look to bowl first. Big ground, lots of pockets, and batters will have to do a lot of running," adds Chris Morris.

One of the square boundaries is 74 meters, and the other one is 67 meters today. Straight down the ground is 74 meters on one end.

The one game in Mohali so far had pristine batting conditions but that was a day fixture. The trend of win-toss-bowl-first should continue as the venue rewards such a decision - in 2019, 5 of the 7 matches at the venue were won by the chasing side.

Hardik Pandya likely to return, Liam Livingstone to get a game, but Kagiso Rabada unlikely to play. The Indian Express argues changes that can happen in both Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans lineups for the game on Thursday. Read our playing XI tip off.

Hardik Pandya was confronted by people’s ‘perception’ prior to being appointed Gujarat Titans captain, and a family chat helped him make up his mind, he revealed to a web show interviewed by Gaurav Kapur ‘GK meets GT’ that was released this week. His wife Natasa Stankovic, insisted he take up the captaincy role telling him he was a ‘nerd, just a different looking nerd.’

As Sudharsan was making short work of the challenge Nortje was posing and Gavaskar was raving about his potential, his mother Usha Bharadwaj had shut all the television noise and was seated in the puja room at their home in Chennai. Usha was a state-level volleyball player during her younger days and to date, there is a slight disappointment in her tone that she couldn’t reach the top level. Sudharshan’s father R Bharadwaj was a national-level athlete who competed in the 1993 SAFF Games in Dhaka. Sport runs in their blood, but for some reason, Usha still prefers not to watch her younger son play.

“I was in the puja room chanting the mantra, and only when the match got ever, my husband told me about it. For a long time, I never watched him play because I get tense,” she tells The Indian Express.

With a clinical eight-wicket victory over Punjab Kings, set up by the bowlers and wrapped up by Rahul Tripathi, Sunrisers Hyderabad are off the blocks this season. Read our report from the game in Hyderabad. 

Rinku Singh’s tryst with cricket destiny moment completes a thrilling heist for KKR, rendering Rashid Khan’s all-googly hat-trick irrelevant in an all-incident match. Sandip G encapsulates the drama of a last ball finish from Rinku Singh.

Is there a role for sheet anchors in the IPL? Shikar Dhawan has tried to bat through the innings in the three games for Punjab Kings. With two wins in three games, the team has started off well. But will Dhawan face the heat if results don't go their way? Read more, from Express' Rahul Pandey.