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Top knocks by Shahrukh Khan, Jitesh Sharma and Matthew Short helped Punjab Kings post a total of 153/8 against Gujarat Giants in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium here on Thursday.
For PBKS, Matthew scored the highest with 36 off 24 and Shahrukh Khan played a quickfire knock of 22 in 9 balls while Jitesh slammed 25 runs from 23 balls. For GT, Mohit Sharma bagged two while Joshua Little, Mohammed Shami and Rashid Khan claimed one wicket each. Opted to bowl first, Gujarat Giants bowlers struck early as Mohammed Shami drew the first blood on the second ball of the first over. Shami removed Prabhsimran for a two-ball duck. Matthew Short then came out to bat and the batter slammed Shami for back-to-back two fours. Punjab captain Shikhar Dhawan could not continue his red-hot form in the match as he was sent back to the pavilion after scoring 8 runs by Joshua Little in the 4th over. After being two wickets down, Short played some fine short and kept piling runs at regular intervals to keep the momentum going for his team. However, Short's 36 runs stay at the crease came to an end as he was dismissed by Rashid Khan in the 7th over of the game. The right-handed batter Jitesh Sharma then came out to bat. After 10 overs Punjab's score read 75/3. The duo of Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Jitesh were decisive in their approach and made the Gujarat bowlers toil hard making merry of the excellent batting conditions on offer. The batters rotated the strike brilliantly, not allowing the Gujarat bowlers to settle down while whacking the loose balls on offer. Mohit Sharma then gave Punjab a big blow as he dismissed Jitesh Sharma for 25 in the 13th over of the game. Star all-rounder Sam Curran then came out to bat and slammed Gujarat bowlers all around the ground with Rajapaksa to ease some pressure from his team. However, Rajapaksa's innings at the crease came to an end as he was dismissed by Alzarri Joseph after scoring 20 runs. The right-handed batter Shahrukh Khan then came out to bat and slammed a six over the deep mid-wicket stands to open his account. The batting pair hammered Shami for 15 runs. In the 19th over Mohit Sharma struck again and dismissed Curran for 22 runs. Harpreet Brar then came out to bat. In the last over, Gujarat's Joshua Little produced a stunning spell to restrict Punjab Kings to 153/8. Brief score: Punjab Kings 153/8 (Matthew Short 36, Jitesh Sharma 25; Mohit Sharma 2-18) vs Gujarat Titans. (ANI)
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