It was an Afghan Super show with the ball for Gujarat Titans before Punjab Kings's late counter-attack saw them steal a thrilling three wicket victory with one ball to spare in the IPL 2024 match on Thursday, April 4, 2024.
The Afghan spin duo of Noor Ahmad and Rashid Khan, bowling in tandem, put Titans in control with a good spell in the middle overs. Left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar was the most consistent bowler for Punjab.
Overall, it was not a great match for the bowlers as both teams totalled 399 runs combined.
A look at the best spells:
Noor Ahmad
Noor is often referred to as the left-handed Rashid Khan, with a bowling style similar to his senior colleague.
On Thursday, the 19 year old outshone Rashid with a brilliant spell against the Punjab Kings.
Brought into the attack in the Powerplay, Noor struck with his first ball of the match. Jonny Bairstow was reluctant to get forward to the flighted delivery which turned and sneaked past the bat and deflected onto the stumps off his pads.
Prabhsimran Singh was done in by the googly as he looked to hit over the off-side, getting a thick outside edge and was caught at point for 35.
Despite going for 20 runs in his final two overs, Noor finished with 2/32 in four overs, which helped Gujarat rein in Punjab's batters in the first half of their innings.
Rashid Khan
Rashid also played a role with the ball even though he went for runs at the end.
Along with Noor he put the brakes on the Punjab batters in the middle overs. Rashid gave away 15 runs in his first two overs but failed to make an impact towards the end.
Always assigned to bowl the difficult overs, Rashid came under a surprise attack from Shashank Singh, who smashed him for a six over midwicket in the 14th over.
He was slammed for two sixes in a row by Jitesh Sharma, but the champion spinner bounced back off the very next ball with the right-hander's wicket to deal Punjab's hopes a big blow.
He went for 15 in his final over, to finish 1/40 in his four overs.
Harpreet Brar
Harpreet has been Punjab Kings' most consistent bowler this season.
The young left-arm spinner has been exceptional with his control, picking up four wickets in as many games at an economy rate of 5.69.
Against Titans, he opened the bowling giving away seven in his first over despite being hit for a six by Shubman Gill.
He was really tight in the middle overs and was rewarded with the wicket of Kane Williamson, who cut a short ball straight to the fielder at point.
Despite going for 11 in his final over, he registered 1/33 in four overs.
GT vs PBKS: Who Bowled The Best Spell?
Photographs: BCCI
