Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): After driving Punjab Kings (PBKS) to victory beating Gujarat Titans (GT), finisher and debutant Ashutosh Sharma received heaps of praises from the cricket lovers. Right after the match, amid audience's cheers, Madhya Pradesh based cricketer Sharma expressed gratitude to his team for believing in him and giving him a chance.
"I extend a big thanks to my team Punjab Kings for keeping faith in me. It feels extremely good to perform and finish the match with a win. I am very happy about it. Shikhar paaji believed in me so much." said the young prodigy in the post-match presentation.
The prodigy has already forged his position by helping PBKS win a crucial match against GT in Ahmedabad on Thursday. The 25-year-old batsman scored 31 runs from 17 balls at a strike rate of 182.35 and helped his side clinch a 3-wicket win over Gujarat. The Madhya Pradesh-born cricketer slammed 3 fours and a six during his time on the crease.
Ashutosh Sharma, an Indian cricketer, entered the Twenty20 arena representing Madhya Pradesh in the 2017–18 Zonal T20 League, marking his debut on 12 January 2018. Transitioning to List A cricket, he made his debut on 16 October 2019, donning the Madhya Pradesh jersey during the 2019–20 Vijay Hazare Trophy. Furthermore, in the IPL 2024 season, Sharma showcased his talent as a member of the Punjab Kings squad, securing his place with a purchase price of 20 lakhs.
Summarizing the match, Gill struck the highest individual score of the IPL 2024 - 89* and Rahul Tewatia came at the end to play a short cameo of 23* in a mere 8 delivers to power GT to 199/4 in the first inning.
In reply, Shashank Singh's (61*) blitz and Ashutosh's (31) rattled GT as they chased down the target and clinched a three-wicket victory for the Punjab Kings.
Following the win, the Punjab-based franchise stands in fifth place in the IPL 2024 standings with four points. On the other hand, Gujarat holds the sixth place with four points.
