Shubman Gill's composed 67 helped Gujarat Titans to a six-wicket victory over Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League on Thursday, but not before some late jitters.
The Titans looked to be strolling to a win before Gill fell in the final over, with Gujarat needing all but one ball of their 20 overs to reach the target of 154.
Punjab's innings got off to a poor start when Prabhsimran Singh was out for a second-ball duck after inadvertently lobbing Mohammed Shami to Rashid Khan, before captain Shikhar Dhawan was dismissed by Josh Little for just eight.
Matt Short was going well on 36 from 24 balls before a superb delivery from Rashid bowled the Australian.
Jitesh Sharma helped steady things with 25 from 23 before edging Mohit Sharma to Wriddhiman Saha, but Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Sam Curran played some risk-free cricket to make sure the Kings had some wickets in hand for the closing overs.
Rajapaksa fell for 20 with three overs left, with Curran following soon after for 22, though a quickfire 22 from Shahrukh Khan helped them to a final total of 153-8.
Saha and Gill put on an opening partnership of 48 inside the first five overs before the former picked out Short at deep square leg off the bowling of Kagiso Rabada for 30.
Sai Sudharsan added 19 before being dismissed by Arshdeep Singh, while Hardik Pandya matched his fellow captain by also only managing eight runs before departing.
Gill was dramatically bowled by Curran in the final over as the Titans were left needing six from the final four balls, and then four from two, but Rahul Tewatia swept a four with the penultimate delivery to seal the win for Gujarat.
Gill dethrones Kings again
It was a superb effort from Gill, who hit four fours and one six as his 67 from 49 balls took the Titans to victory.
This was his fifth 50 against the Kings, his highest tally against any single opponent in the IPL, while no player has logged more scores of 50+ runs against Punjab than Gill since his IPL debut in 2018.
Dhawan cannot find the power
Shikhar Dhawan was unable to produce a much-needed captain's innings for the Kings, trying to loft Little's delivery over mid-on, but only finding the safe hands of Alzarri Joseph.
He has been dismissed 85 times during powerplay overs in the IPL, the most of any player and at least 15 more times than any other in the competition's history (Parthiv Patel second on 70).
Webster hits 95* as defending champions Red Force move to two wins from two with seven-wicket victory over Volcanoes at Brian Lara Cricket Academy
Hosts and defending champions Trinidad & Tobago Red Force comfortably defeated the Windward Islands Volcanoes by seven wickets at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy on Friday to move to two wins out of two this season.
The Red Force first restricted the Volcanoes to 182 all out off 45 overs after winning the toss and bowling first.
Joshua James, Yannic Cariah and Anderson Phillip all took two-wicket hauls for the Red Force while Jeremy Solozano and Sunil Ambris each made 47 for the Volcanoes.
The Red Force then needed only 38 overs to reach 186-3 and secure their second win in as many games this season.
Tion Webster led the way with the bat with 95* off 115 balls including 14 fours and one six while Amir Jangoo hit 31.
Captain Joshua Da Silva finished 21* alongside Webster.
Full Scores:
Windward Islands Volcanoes 182 off 45 overs (Sunil Ambris 47, Jeremy Solozano 47, Joshua James 2-15, Anderson Phillip 2-21, Yannic Cariah 2-35)
Trinidad & Tobago Red Force 186-3 off 38 overs (Tion Webster 95*, Amir Jangoo 31)
The Red Force will next play the Leeward Islands Hurricanes at the same venue on Sunday while the Volcanoes will next play the Jamaica Scorpions at the Queen’s Park Oval on Tuesday.
Wickham hits 118 to lead Barbados Pride to three-wicket win over Leeward Islands Hurricanes at Queen's Park Oval
The Barbados Pride recorded their second win in as many games in this season’s CG United Super50 Cup with a tense three-wicket win over the Leeward Islands Hurricanes at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain on Friday.
The Leeward batted first after winning the toss, posting a respectable 284-5 from their 50 overs in the middle.
Opener Justin Greaves continued his excellent form to start this year’s competition with a 131-ball 112 including nine fours, following up his 111* in the team’s opener against the West Indies Academy at the same ground on Tuesday.
West Indies Test opener Mikyle Louis supported Greaves well with 55 while Chesney Hughes made 52 off 48 balls including six fours and a pair of sixes.
All-rounder Kofi James also chipped in with a quick 17-ball 34 including a trio of sixes.
Jomel Warrican was the pick of the Barbados bowling with 4-43 from his 10 overs.
The Pride then recovered from being 168-6 in the 33rd over to successfully chase down a tough total, reaching 285-7 with two balls to spare.
Kevin Wickham and captain Kyle Mayers were the main contributors for last year’s semi-finalists.
Wickham batted beautifully on his way to a maiden List A century, 118 off just 103 balls including 11 fours and three sixes while Mayers made 58 off 72 balls including two fours and four sixes in support.
Wickham was the last man to fall, going off the last ball of the penultimate over with the score on 277, meaning the Pride needed eight to win.
The last over, bowled by Hurricanes captain Rakheem Cornwall, saw a single, dot then a single before Dominic Drakes hit the fourth ball of the over for six over long on to seal the win.
Oshane Thomas took 2-35 off six overs for the Hurricanes while Jeremiah Louis also took two wickets while conceding 57 in eight overs.
Full Scores:
Leeward Islands Hurricanes 284-5 off 50 overs (Justin Greaves 112, Mikyle Louis 55, Chesney Hughes 52, Kofi James 34*, Jomel Warrican 4-43)
Barbados Pride 285-7 off 49.4 overs (Kevin Wickham 118, Kyle Mayers 58, Zachary McCaskie 28, Oshane Thomas 2-35, Jeremiah Louis 2-57).
Both teams will next be in action on Sunday, November 3. The Pride will battle the Harpy Eagles at QPO while the Hurricanes will face the Red Force at the BLCA.
In-form Evin Lewis eyes consistency as Windies seek series clinch against England
After a commanding match-winning 94 in the first ODI against England, West Indies opener Evin Lewis is riding high on momentum and aiming to carry his form into Saturday’s second game in North Sound, Antigua.
Lewis’ knock, punctuated by blistering drives and calculated power hitting, laid the foundation for the Caribbean side’s eight-wicket victory, which handed them a valuable 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Reflecting on his performance, Lewis credited his partnership with fellow opener Brandon King (30) as crucial to setting the tone for the chase after the West Indies bowlers did their part in dismissing England for 209.
The pair’s composed 118-run opening stand gave the West Indies early control over the game, leaving captain Shai Hope and Keacy Carty, who were unbeaten on six and 19, respectively, with a relatively straightforward path to victory, as they easily got to their revised target of 157 with 55 balls to spare.
“With the new ball, [Brandon] King and I always say once we see what the new ball does, it becomes so much easier scoring deep into the innings. So I just tried to be positive after the powerplay and bat as deep as possible,” Lewis said in an interview with CWI media.
“It is very nice to bat with Brandon King; he is also a positive player like me, and we feed off each other. We have some good partnerships going so far and are looking forward to continuing that going forward,” he added.
Lewis, known for his aggressive style, struck 94 off just 69 balls, including eight sixes and five fours, giving the Antiguan crowd much to celebrate as the rain failed to dampen their spirits.
Now looking to the second ODI, Lewis emphasized the importance of carrying their positive energy forward as they aim to seal the series by taking an unassailable 2-0 lead.
“I think we just have to keep playing the cricket we are playing and be positive in what we are doing. It is important to try and win the second game so that we can close out the series. We have the support from the coaching staff, so we just have to go out there and execute,” the aggressive left-handed batsman noted.
With his confidence high and his approach focused, the Trinidad and Tobago stalwart remains one to watch as West Indies continue to progress as a team.
Knowing his role is pivotal in guiding the West Indies to victory once again, much like he did with a well-played century in the last game of their Sri Lankan tour, Lewis’ sights are set on keeping his form intact.
“I was pretty confident coming into this series after that century against Sri Lanka, and I am even more confident after getting off the mark in the series, and it is important that I keep scoring runs,” he ended.
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