PBKS vs GT, IPL 2023 Highlights: Gujarat Titans win thriller by six wickets as Rahul Tewatia completes chase with four

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

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

“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.”

“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 chosen to bowl.

Dhawan may have once formed one of the most formidable top 3's in limited overs international cricket with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. However, while the latter two remain integral to India in all formats, Dhawan's star has waned, with Shubman Gill's rise seemingly keeping him out of the Indian squad in ODIs and T20Is after already having lost his Test place a long time ago. However, he has started off with a bang this season in the IPL. Dhawan smashed 40 in 29 balls in Punjab's season opener. Then he scored an unbeaten 86 off 56 in the second match and then incredible made an unbeaten 99 in 66 balls. His innings in that third match is truly incredible when you consider the fact that he was one of just two Punjab players to manage double digit scores and the next best total was Sam Curran's 22 off 15. Punjab only scored 143/9 despite Dhawan's innings and SRH won the game but Dhawan won the player of the match anyhow. Wonder what he has got in store for Gujarat today.

The 21-year-old Tamil Nadu player has done exactly what Gujarat Titans would have expected from the injured Kane Williamson. He has scored two back to back half centuries in their last two matches and has pretty much acted as the perfect anchor, holding up one end while also ensuring that he himself doesn't hurt the run rate.

Mohammed Shami forms an integral part of the intimidating bowling lineup that Gujarat Titans have but the Punjab Kings will take a lot of heart from the fact that their captain and opening batsman seems to have the wood on him. Shikhar Dhawan has never been dismissed by Shami and strikes at 149 against him. 

Wriddhiman Saha, Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Hardik Pandya, Vijay Shankar, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, Alzarri Joseph, Joshua Little

Shikhar Dhawan (c), Prabhsimran Singh, Shahrukh Khan, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Liam Livingstone, Sikandar Raza, Sam Curran, Arshdeep Singh, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Kagiso Rabada

This is a statement from the BCCI: "Rajasthan Royals’ Ravichandran Ashwin has been fined 25 Percent of his match-fee for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct during Match 17 of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 between Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on April 12.

“Ashwin admitted to the Level 1 Offence under Article 2.7 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct. For Level 1 breaches of the Code of Conduct, the Match Referee’s decision is final and binding.”

It hasn't been stated exactly what his offence was but it is to be noted that Ashwin had a lot to say about the umpires changing the ball in that match. 

Kagiso Rabada is on 99 IPL wickets in 63 matches. The fastest to 100 IPL wickets is currently Lasith Malinga, getting it in 70 matches.

After the Kings roped in Livingstone for INR 11.50 cr at the IPL 2022 mega-auction, the England all-rounder repaid their faith by scoring 437 runs in 14 matches at an outstanding strike rate of 182, while also managing a healthy average of 36. He smashed four half-centuries in the IPL last year. Besides his scintillating batting displays, Livingstone also contributed as a useful off-spinner. He picked up six wickets at an economy of 8. Livingston might replace Matt Short in the line-up for the game against GT provided he is match fit. However, there is also the outside chance that the Kings may have to opt to bench Sikandar Raza to fit in Livingstone. 

Shubman Gill has been dismissed twice in the 38 balls that he faced against Kagiso Rabada and has scored just 29 runs. Gill started off with an impressive 63 off 36 balls but since then, he has scored 14 in 15 and a 39 in 31 balls.

No big injuries to report for Punjab, in fact they will have to weigh up their foreign options considering the fact that Liam Livingstone is now available. 

It is quite strange to think that Rinku Singh only did an extreme version of what Gujarat Titans themselves used to do many a times to teams in the IPL last season. Probably the most notable of those is what Tewatia did to the Punjab Kings. The Kings may have thought that they have wrapped up the game when they got Pandya out first ball of the last over with the Titans needing 18 to win. Then David Miller hit a four off the third ball but only managed a single off the next to leave GT needing 12 runs off two balls - two sixes - to win the match. Easy-peasy for Tewatia, he hit one over deep midwicket, where there was a man and he had caught it but of course he landed over the boundary line. Then he hit the last ball over long on. This wasn't even the first time he had finished in this fashion and after this, his name started being taken in the same breath as the likes of Bevan, Klusener and Dhoni.

Conceding five sixes in any over is a tough pill for any player to swallow, regardless of whether they be a part-time bowler a regular quick like Yash Dayal. Conceding five sixes in the last over a match while the opposition needed 28 to win off the last five ball is, quite frankly, unimaginable. Dayal spoke to his father late on Sunday night after the bowler conceded the highest number of runs (31) in the final over of a chase to lose an IPL game. He said that he he struggled to grip the ball due to wet conditions.

"It was a nightmare yesterday," Chandrapal Dayal told PTI on Monday. "They made him [Yash] sit in the centre [in the dressing room] and consoled him. Later, there was naach-gaana [dance, music] and they spent some light moments with him."

"These are the moments sport is made up of. Even in life you come across failures, it's important to stand up stronger."

Wriddhiman Saha(w), Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Abhinav Manohar, Hardik Pandya(c), Vijay Shankar, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Joshua Little, Jayant Yadav, Srikar Bharat, Mohit Sharma, Matthew Wade, Pradeep Sangwan, Dasun Shanaka, Odean Smith, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Shivam Mavi, Darshan Nalkande, Urvil Patel, Noor Ahmad

Prabhsimran Singh, Shikhar Dhawan(c), Matthew Short, Jitesh Sharma(w), Sam Curran, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Nathan Ellis, Mohit Rathee, Arshdeep Singh, Sikandar Raza, Kagiso Rabada, Harpreet Singh Bhatia, Rishi Dhawan, Atharva Taide, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Baltej Singh, Liam Livingstone, Vidhwath Kaverappa, Gurnoor Brar, Shivam Singh

Rashid Khan was captaining Gujarat Titans during their extraordinary defeat in the last match, with Pandya sitting out that game and the previous one due to an illness. He is fit and fine now and will most probably return to the playing XI today. 

For the first time since the 2021 season, Punjab Kings have managed to win two of their three opening matches. The side has been the perennial underperformers and will be hoping that they can make more of this good start. Grabbing this game by the scruff of its neck would be top of their list of priorities today, considering Gujarat are coming into it on the back of a truly epic loss. 

It looked like the game was a foregone conclusion when Yash Dayal steamed in to Umesh Yadav and the latter got off strike off the first ball of the last over of the match between GT and KKR. However, what that did is bring Rinku Singh on strike and the latter launched an extraordinary round of big hitting that produced five sixes in a row and won KKR the match. It was easily the best match of the season, arguably the greatest finish to an IPL match ever and at the end of it, GT were left with glazed eyes and half open mouths wondering just what in the world happened.

Both sides have faced each other in two matches, with PBKS winning one and GT coming out on top once.

PBKS: Prabhsimran Singh, Shikhar Dhawan(c), Matthew Short, Jitesh Sharma(w), Sam Curran, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Nathan Ellis, Mohit Rathee, Arshdeep Singh, Sikandar Raza, Kagiso Rabada, Harpreet Singh Bhatia, Rishi Dhawan, Atharva Taide, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Baltej Singh, Liam Livingstone, Vidhwath Kaverappa, Gurnoor Brar, Shivam Singh

GT: Wriddhiman Saha(w), Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Abhinav Manohar, Hardik Pandya(c), Vijay Shankar, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Joshua Little, Jayant Yadav, Srikar Bharat, Mohit Sharma, Matthew Wade, Pradeep Sangwan, Dasun Shanaka, Odean Smith, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Shivam Mavi, Darshan Nalkande, Urvil Patel, Noor Ahmad

Hello and good afternoon everyone! Welcome to our live coverage of today's IPL 2023 match between PBKS and GT, straight from Mohali.