NEW DELHI: Gujarat Titans' spinners emerged as the heroes in a thrilling encounter as last year's runners-up secured a crucial three-wicket victory over Punjab Kings in a low-scoring affair.
The spin trio comprising left-arm wrist spinner Noor Ahmed, Rashid Khan, and Sai Kishore wreaked havoc, bundling out Punjab for a meagre 142 runs in 20 overs.
Despite a lacklustre batting performance from Punjab, with only opener Prabhsimran Singh contributing a noteworthy 35 off 21 balls, the Titans faced some turbulence during their chase.
However, they managed to clinch victory in 19.1 overs, with skipper Shubman Gill and specialist finisher Rahul Tewatia playing pivotal roles with scores of 35 and an unbeaten 36 off 18 balls, respectively. This win revitalised the Titans' IPL campaign, putting them back on track for success.
Punjab's stand-in skipper, Sam Curran, acknowledged the fact that they fell 10-15 runs short, giving full credit to Gujarat spinners.
"I think so (we were 10-15 short). The effort with the ball was incredible, the commitment and fight was amazing, but it was not enough. The Afghanistan spinners are world class bowlers and Sai Kishore bowled really well, credit to them," Curran said after the match.
"That is the third time we have used that pitch, anything above 160 would have been a par total but we still fought well. Prabhsimran played really well in the powerplay but unfortunately we lost a cluster of wickets after that. Now, we know what to do, we have to win every game," Cuuran added.
