Twitter Reactions: All-round Punjab Kings bring end to Gujarat Titans' winning spree

Punjab Kings have recorded a much-needed win and that too against the high-flying Gujarat Titans. Quite contrary to the expectations, PBKS dominated the Titans throughout the contest and walked away with a comfortable eight-wicket triumph. While Kagiso Rabada was Punjab’s stand-out performer with the ball, Shikhar Dhawan smashed a well-paced half-century, making sure there’s no twist in the tale. Liam Livingstone’s brief but entertaining cameo is also worth mentioning.

Earlier in the match, GT won the toss and surprisingly elected to bat at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Mumbai. The move didn’t pay dividends by any means as the Titans suffered a top-order collapse. While opener Shubman Gill was unfortunate to get run out cheaply, his opening partner Wriddhiman Saha perished for a 17-ball 21.

Kagiso Rabada breathed fire with the ball

The biggest setback was Hardik Pandya’s ouster for just one run as the GT skipper has been on a roll this season. As the likes of David Miller and Rahul Tewatia were dismissed for 11 runs apiece, GT looked in all sorts of trouble. However, youngster Sai Sudharsan showcased remarkable character and brought his side’s innings back on track.

Despite not getting any support from the other hand, the 20-year-old scored an unbeaten 65 off 50 balls as GT posted a respectable 143/8 in their allotted 20 overs. Kagiso Rabada, who took his second four-wicket haul in IPL 2022, was the pick of the PBKS bowlers. PBKS’ innings didn’t start off well either as Jonny Bairstow, who opened the innings instead of skipper Mayank Agarwal, went back after scoring just one.

However, Shikhar Dhawan then joined forces with Bhanuka Rajapaksa and it was one-way traffic since then. While Dhawan scored yet another half-century and remained unbeaten on 62, Bhanuka Rajapaksa scored a quickfire 40. The proceedings were escalated with Liam Livingstone’s arrival as the England international went absolutely berserk. The dasher scored an unbeaten 30 off just 10 deliveries including a colossal 117-meter six as PBKS crossed the line in just 16 overs, clinching the contest by eight wickets.

Meanwhile, let’s look at how Twitter reacted to PBKS’ triumph: