Shashank's fairy tale innings leads Punjab's historic chase
In what has to be the biggest story of IPL 2024 thus far, Shashank Singh produced a magical innings as Punjab Kings downed Gujarat Titans in a roller-coaster game at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Shashank's 29-ball 61 was a stunner as his team cracked down a tough chase out of nowhere. This win put Punjab atop the list in terms of most successful 200-plus chases. Apart from Shashank, the other major star in the chase was another uncapped batter in Ashutosh Sharma who had come in as the impact player. The duo's freak show meant that a sublime Shubman Gill innings earlier in the evening ended up on the losing side.
The Shashank redemption
The drama surrounding Shashank Singh at the IPL 2024 auctions was bizarre. Having gotten him at his base price, the Punjab Kings think tank quickly stated that they had probably bid for the wrong person, as there was another player with the same name in the registered list. It was an embarrassing situation, not just for the franchise but also for the player who would have seen countless dreams when he learnt of his IPL contract. In the coming days, PBKS sent out a statement clarifying that they had indeed taken the 'right man' but whether that was damage control or not, we'll never know. What we know now for sure is that PBKS will be thanking their stars that they got him at the auctions. On a night when the famed stars failed, Shashank stood tall to etch out his miracle story.
What's on the menu tonight?
A major southern derby as Sunrisers Hyderabad gear up to host the Chennai Super Kings. It isn't a famed rivalry in terms of aggression or theatrics but CSK-SRH games have had their share of entertainment and big moments, with the IPL 2018 final being the pick of the lot. This season, SRH have carried a major threat, particularly with their batting arsenal that looks intimidating on paper. If they get going, as they did against Mumbai Indians, the record books could be torn to shreds. Having made MI suffer, Pat Cummins' men will want to do the same to the Men in Yellow to make a statement. Ruturaj Gaikwad's men are still smarting from their loss against DC and will want to get back to winning ways. Check out the match preview to get in sync with all the key matchups and sub-plots