Bowler Sai Kishore described the win as a “hard-fought” one following Gujarat Titans’ (GT) 3-wicket triumph over Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.
In the first inning of the match, Kishore delivered a remarkable performance. The 27-year-old bowler claimed four wickets, conceding 33 runs in his four-over spell with an economy rate of 8.20.
In a video posted on the IPL’s social media handle, Kishore expressed that there were numerous positives to glean from the 3-wicket victory against the Punjab-based franchise.
“There are a lot of positives to take. It was a hard-fought win, I won’t say that it came in a platter,” Kishore said.
Sai Kishore further mentioned that if the team thinks collectively and sets achievable targets, it alleviates pressure.
“I think when you think as a team, the pressure is off, the targets are more achievable and then it is just playing for your wickets. What I try to do is think for the team, what the team wants, approach the game as a captain what you would do in that situation,” he added.
Summarizing the match, PBKS were set to bat. However, none of the batters managed to score significantly, although contributions from Ashutosh Sharma (31 off 16 balls, including a four and three sixes) and Jitesh Sharma (29 off 24 balls, featuring a four and two sixes) propelled the team to a total of 147/8 in their allotted 20 overs.
Keshav Maharaj (2/34) and Avesh Khan (2/23) emerged as the standout performers among the bowlers for RR.
In the pursuit of the target, Yashasvi Jaiswal (39 off 28 balls, including four boundaries) shared a 56-run partnership with Tanush Kotian (24 off 31 balls, featuring three fours). Subsequently, RR faced a flurry of quick dismissals. However, a rapid cameo from Shimron Hetmyer (27* off 10 balls, with a four and three sixes) aided the team in chasing down the target with one ball to spare.
Kagiso Rabada (2/18) and Sam Curran (2/25) excelled as the leading bowlers for PBKS.