Kings XI Punjab (PBKS) defeated Gujarat Titans (GT) by three wickets at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday to complete their chase for the highest success in IPL 2024 war. All-rounder Shashank Singh was the unlikely hero for Punjab as he smashed an unbeaten 61 off 29 balls to help his team chase down the 200-run target. PBKS were 70/4 at one stage and it looked like GT was heading towards a goal. Three consecutive home wins. However, Shashank and Ashutosh Sharma showed tenacity to help PBKS advance in the competition.

When Shashank defeated Darshan Nalkande in the penultimate match, PBKS co-owner and Bollywood actress Preity Zinta jumped from her seat and joined the celebrations in the stands.

Kings XI Punjab won the 3rd wicket.
“Preeti Zeta” Gill #GTvsPBKS “Shashank Singh” “Vijay Shankar”pic.twitter.com/8NQtvwihYM pic.twitter.com/QeveToEKC6

— Rahul Meena (@Rahulm_01) April 5, 2024

There was confusion over Shashank’s purchase during last year’s IPL auction. This is a misidentification incident between two players with the same name that occurred during the acceleration period of PBKS.

After buying the right Shashank, PBKS posted a clarifying tweet to burst the bubble, and it seems the players responded well after taking Zinta’s team home.

Coming to the match, Gill scored his highest individual score of IPL 2024 – 89*, while Rahul Tewatia made a brief cameo at the end of the match with 23*, taking GT off just 8 balls Won 199/4 in the first innings.

In reply, Shashank Singh’s (61*) blitz and Ashutosh’s (31) upset GT as they chased down the target to secure a three-wicket win for Kings XI Punjab.

The win takes the Punjab-based team to fifth place in the IPL 2024 standings with 4 points. On the other hand, Gujarat is ranked sixth with 4 points.

PBKS captain Shikhar Dhawan praised Ashutosh Sharma and Shashank Singh for finally forming an important partnership.

“It was a good game, very, very close and I’m glad the kids did the job. Our plan was to have a good start but unfortunately I pulled out but we ran at the end of the power play By about 60 overs, we continued to build partnerships and Shashank came in and bowled really well. The way Shashank came in and hit sixes was outstanding, the way he batted the ball looked effortless. He started at No. 7 Started and now showing a positive attitude. He is playing in the IPL after a long time and he is playing very well. I would also like to mention Ashutosh, he has performed well under pressure.” Wan said.

(With ANI input)