Gujarat pull off miraculous win over Lucknow, Punjab overcome Mumbai

Veteran pacer Mohit Sharma bowled a splendid final over in Gujarat Titans’ seven-run victory over Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League on Saturday.

With the hosts needing 12 off the last six balls, Sharma dismissed Lokesh Rahul on 68 and Marcus Stoinis for a first-ball duck before helping out with two run-outs as Lucknow crashed from 126-3 to 128-7 (20 overs) and fell short of Gujarat’s 135-6 (20 overs) in a stunning manner. Opting to bat on a slow, low surface, Gujarat got off to a poor start and lost Shubman Gill for a two-ball duck.

Skipper Hardik Pandya batted at number three and put on 68 runs with Wriddhiman Saha.

Saha scored 47 off 37 balls, hitting six fours, and provided the early impetus to the Titans’ innings even as Pandya held one end together.

The spinners didn’t allow them to score freely with left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya, Hardik’s elder brother, picking 2-16 in four overs.

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Wrist spinner Amit Mishra also picked 1-9 in two overs, but didn’t get to finish his spell.

After Saha fell to Krunal Pandya, Hardik took charge of the innings but didn’t find much support from the other Gujarat batsmen as they found the going tough on a slow-paced wicket.

The Gujarat skipper, who reached 50 off 44 balls, then unleashed four sixes at the death to take his team to a competitive total.

In reply, Lucknow got off to a quick start as Rahul put on 55 runs off 39 balls with Kyle Mayers (24).

Rahul reached his half-century off 38 balls, including eight fours, and despite losing Mayers put on another 51 runs with Krunal Pandya (23).

Lucknow were in pole position at that time, as Gujarat’s spinners didn’t have the same impact. Rashid Khan proved expensive with 1-33 in four overs.

Rahul slowed down at the home stretch, though, scoring 18 runs off the next 23 balls faced. It turned the game in Gujarat’s favor as Lucknow scored 19 runs in five overs during the death.

Needing 12, Rahul was caught at square leg before Stoinis was out caught at long on. Gujarat applied a further squeeze as four wickets in the final over at the cost of only four runs. Overall, Lucknow lost six wickets for 22 runs in the space of 32 balls to hand Gujarat its fourth win in six games.

Meanwhile, Cameron Green and Suryakumar Yadav struck blazing half-centuries but could not propel Mumbai Indians across the line as they went down to Punjab Kings by 13 runs.

After their bowling unit conceded 109 runs in the last six overs to allow Punjab Kings to post 214/8, Green blasted 67 off 43 deliveries and Suryakumar Yadav hammered 57 off 26 balls as Mumbai Indians could only manage to score 201/6 in 20 overs as they fell short despite a brave chase. Skipper Rohit Sharma smacked a 27-ball 44 but in the end, that effort went in vain.

Arshdeep Singh claimed 4-29 runs as PBKS came back strongly in the second half of both innings to register their fourth win in seven matches as they moved to fifth position on the points table.

Mumbai lost their way in the last two overs, needing 31 runs off the last 12 deliveries. Tim David and Tilak Varma blasted 15 runs off the 19th over bowled by Nathan Ellis with David hitting a huge six and both doing some hard running. With Mumbai Indians needing 16 from the last over, Arshdeep bowled brilliantly, using the slower yorkers castled Tilak Varma and Nehal Wadhera off successive deliveries to snuff out Mumbai Indians’ hopes, Though Ishan Kishan (1) got out early, skipper Rohit Sharma kept Mumbai on course with a 27-ball 44 as he and Cameron Green raised 76 runs for the hosts as they chased a stiff target of 215 in 20 overs.

Green and Suryakumar then raised 75 runs for the third wicket partnership, starting cautiously and then unleashing some power-packed strokes all around the ground. Green smacked Harpreet Brar over long-on for his first six and then edged Arshdeep Singh past the vacant first slip for a streaky four in the fourth over.

Agencies