Gujarat Titans took four wickets in a dramatic final over to clinch a seven-run win against the Lucknow Super Giants, denying their opponents top spot in the Indian Premier League as Mohit Sharma starred.
The Titans were limited to 135-6 on a tricky surface, and the Super Giants looked set to edge a low-scoring affair when KL Rahul started the run chase strongly.
However, a man-of-the-match display from Mohit – who took 2-17 and closed out a final over containing four dismissals – ensured the Titans snatched a dramatic success at the last.
The Titans made a poor start with the bat as Shubman Gill went for a duck, handing Ravi Bishnoi a catch in the deep from just his second ball, but his exit allowed Wriddhiman Saha and Hardik Pandya to take up the mantle.
Saha was caught off Krunal Pandya's bowling three runs shy of his half-century, but Hardik remained steady as the wickets tumbled around him, hitting 66 off 50 balls to keep the Titans in contention.
Hardik's knock looked an excellent one on a slow surface, but the Titans skipper saw brother Krunal join Marcus Stoinis in claiming two wickets to leave the Super Giants chasing an attainable total.
Rahul led the run chase, accumulating 68 off 61 balls, but the Titans teed up a tense finish when Nicholas Pooran (1) swept into the hands of Hardik with three overs remaining.
Having kept things tight to leave the Super Giants needing 10 from five deliveries, Mohit decided the contest by having Rahul and Stoinis (0) caught off successive balls, with Ayush Badoni and Deepak Hooda run out at the last as the Titans claimed a remarkable win.
Mohit the star as Titans hold on
When Mohit regained the ball after 17 overs, the Super Giants were chasing 23 runs from 18 balls with seven wickets in hand and looked destined to leapfrog the Rajasthan Royals at the top of the IPL standings.
However, Mohit conceded just eight runs over his final two overs with the ball, with his figures of 2-17 – and his role in having Badoni and Hooda run out at the last – guiding his team to victory.
Hardik edges family affair
Saturday's game saw Hardik pitted against older brother Krunal, who looked set to edge this family affair after getting two wickets and supporting Rahul with a knock of 23.
However, a series of late wickets ensured Hardik's Titans came out on top, maintaining his excellent record as skipper.
Hardik has won 75 per cent of his games as captain in the IPL (15/20) – the best such rate of any player to have led their side in the competition.
Ireland shock Pakistan in T20I opener
Ireland shocked Pakistan with a five-wicket victory in the first T20I at Clontarf, with Andrew Balbirnie starring for the hosts.
Balbirnie plundered 77 from 55 balls, including 10 fours and two sixes, and his partnership of 76 with Harry Tector (36) edged Ireland closer to victory.
Curtis Campher (15*) and Gareth Delany (10*) saw them over the line to secure the win with one ball to spare.
Despite an early setback, Pakistan started strong, with Babar Azam hitting 57 and Saim Ayub adding 45.
However, Craig Young’s strong performance saw him take 2-27 as Ireland took control to limit the visitors in the later stages as Azam Khan and Shadab Khan both walked without getting any runs.
The sides will meet again at the Dublin venue on Sunday and Tuesday.
Data Debrief:
Ireland achieved their target of 183 against Pakistan successfully today, making it their highest run chase against a full-member side in men's T20Is.
Ireland's first win against Pakistan came at the 2007 World Cup and 17 years later they secured a first victory over them in T20 cricket.
IPL: Titans broke records to move off the foot of the table
Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill wrote their names into the history books as the Gujarat Titans earned a 35-run victory over Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League on Friday to move eighth.
The pair contributed to a sensational 210 runs between them for the opening wicket – the joint-highest opening stand in IPL history – as the Titans set CSK a daunting target of 232.
Gill was the first to reach his century in the 17th over, plundering 104 off 55 balls, but Sudharsan followed shortly after, hitting 103 off 51 before Tushar Deshpande got both out within the next five balls.
The Titans only added a further 41 runs to finish with 231-3 but stifled CSK when they stepped up to bat.
The Super Kings were 10 for three down inside the first two overs before Daryl Mitchell (63) and Moeen Ali (56) got them into their stride.
Mohit Sharma ensured the Titans ended strongly, finishing with figures of 3-31 to limit CSK to 196-8, leaving them with a tough task to reach the play-offs as they remain in fourth.
Data Debrief: GT history makers
Sudharsan, whose knock included five fours and seven maximums, and Gill, who helped himself to nine fours and six maximums, both scored their first centuries in the IPL this season.
Along the way, Gill and Sudharsan pushed the IPL century count past 100.
Olympiacos 2-0 Aston Villa (6-2 agg): Villans fall in last four as El Kaabi strikes again
Olympiacos will face Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final after an Ayoub El Kaabi double secured a 6-2 aggregate win over Aston Villa.
After a stunning 4-2 win at Villa Park last weekend to take the ascendancy in the semi-final tie, first-leg hat-trick hero El Kaabi struck early before netting again late on to stamp out any hopes of a Villa comeback.
After a strong start from the visitors, El Kaabi scored his fourth goal of the tie just 10 minutes into Thursday's second leg at Stadio Georgios Karaiskaki, getting on the end of Quini's low cross to turn home at the far post.
It looked an uphill battle for Villa, who dominated the possession throughout the contest in Greece but struggled to make a dent in the stubborn hosts.
Douglas Luiz saw a long-range effort saved by Kostas Tzolakis while the Olympiacos goalkeeper also denied Moussa Diaby. El Kaabi made sure late on, getting on the end of a long ball to fire past Martinez and secure Olympiacos' final berth.
The fairytale comeback never materialised for Villa, and it will be Olympiacos who take on Fiorentina at the Agia Sophia Stadium in the Greek capital of Athens on May 29, looking to utilise familiar surroundings to claim their first major European trophy.
Data debrief
El Kaabi was the hero again for Olympiacos as his two second-leg finishes took him to 10 Europa Conference League goals for the campaign, more than any other player, while his 13 strikes in major European competitions are also more than any other player when factoring in his three Europa League goals.
Villa had 73.9 per cent of the ball in the second leg, yet their 1.14 xG (expected goals) was still inferior to Olympiacos' 1.23 as the Greek Super League side's ruthlessness clinched their spot in the final.
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