After successfully chasing down the 154-run goal, the defending champion Gujarat Titans defeated Punjab Kings by 6 wickets to earn their third victory of the 2023 IPL.
Matt Short’s 36 runs (24b, 6×4, 1×6) and cameo appearances by Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jitesh Sharma, Sam Curran, and Shahrukh Khan helped the Kings win the toss and elect to bat first. Mohit Sharma of Gujarat, who participated in his first game since 2020 and had a stellar bowling performance with a spell of 2/18, was named Player of the Match. Shubman Gill, a 23-year-old who continues to amaze, smashed 67 runs (49b, 7×4, 1×6), making the Titans’ run-chase a breeze.
Shubman Gill’s 67 runs helped Gujarat seal the win, even though he was bowled out in the final over by Sam Curran. Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra was thoroughly entertained by Gill’s creative shotmaking, “You’ll see pure cricket shots from him. The pitch was nice, no doubt about that. You’re not chasing a large total, that’s also true. Whenever you see him, you think being strong technically will also help you in T20 cricket. It liberates you. It doesn’t box you in, instead, it gives you freedom. You can succeed by playing perfect cricket, we’ve seen this from Virat Kohli and now we’re seeing him do it too.”
Mohit Sharma was declared the Player of the Match for just conceding 18 runs in four overs while picking up two wickets. Former India Test captain Anil Kumble praised Sharma for his efforts on JioCinema, “He was prepared. He has enough variations to manage within four overs and he was excellent. After the last game, where they had to find an experienced bowler to bowl at the death, they realized it was Mohit Sharma. It’s wonderful to see him pick up Man of the Match.”