Ashutosh Sharma has already proved his mettle as a finisher, helping PBKS win games this season with his late flourish.
Punjab Kings batting sensation Ashutosh Sharma once again gave a testament to his sheer prowess during their Indian Premier League (IPL 2024) match against the Mumbai Indians tonight (April 18). Coming into bat when PBKS were already in a precarious position with the scoreline reading 77 for 6, Ashutosh Sharma donned the role of a lone warrior to keep his team in the hunt till the penultimate stage.
Ashutosh Sharma has already proved his mettle as a finisher, helping PBKS win games this season with his late flourish.
Given that PBKS were sent on the back foot early, the management could have experimented by sending Ashutosh up the order and not at the No.8 slot.
Echoing on the same lines, India and Andhra Pradesh cricketer Hanuma Vihari also resonated that Ashutosh should have batted higher up the order.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Vihari wrote, “Is Ashutosh Sharma didn’t show enough to bat higher than No.8 before this game? Didn’t feature in the starting 11 last game, came in as impact player. IMO he should bat haigher along with Shashank Singh! Your thoughts?”
Speaking about the match, Ashutosh’s wicket in the eighteenth over extinguished PBKS’ chances of winning the contest. Sharma eventually departed for a 28-ball 61 as MI won the contest by 9 runs in the end.
For MI, Jasprit Bumrah was once again the pick of the bowlers, picking up three wickets. Proteas pacer Gerald Coetzee also supported well by finishing with three scalps to his name.
Earlier Suryakumar Yadav’s blistering 53-ball 78 propelled MI to a score of 192 for 7 in 20 overs.
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With tonight’s win, MI have registered their third victory of the season and have now climbed to the seventh spot. PBKS, on the other hand, slumped to the ninth spot with just two wins from seven games.
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