Kagiso Rabada and Shikhar Dhawan's clinical performance ends Gujarat Titans' winning streak as Punjab Kings keep playoff hopes alive

Punjab Kings Kagiso Rabada helped restrict Gujarat Titans to 143 runs. Then Punjab's top-order came in and swept Gujarat's bowlers off their feet to chase their target with 24 balls left. Punjab Kings defeated Gujarat Titans by eight wickets. 

Kagiso Rabada rattles Gujarat Titans' batting line-up.

Gujarat Titans skipper Hardik Pandya chose to bat first, but his batting line-up could not justify their captain's decision.

Wriddhiman Saha and Shubman Gill opened the batting for Gujarat. However, the duo could not settle on to the crease and conceded their wickets early. Rishi Dhawan removed Shubman Gill in the third over via runout as the batters returned to the pavilion after smashing two quick boundaries.

It was then Saha's turn in the fourth over. The wicket-keeper batsman tried to bat aggressively and gave Punjab skipper Mayank Agarwal a top-edge. He departed to the dugout at 21 runs off of 17 balls. 

Captain Hardik Pandya then joined Sai Sudharsan on the pitch. However, he was no good and gave away his wicket cheaply as Gujarat Titans slipped to 44/3 in the seventh over. 

David Miller came to bat after Pandya and tried to form a partnership with Sudharsan but could only add 23 runs with him. He was removed by Liam Livingstone in the twelfth over with only 11 runs to his name off of 14 balls. 

With only Punjab bowlers allowed 11 fours and two sixes in Gujarat's innings, Sai Sudharsan's unbeaten 65 off 50 deliveries were the only saving grace.

Kagiso Rabada then went on a wicket-taking spree and sent back Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan on consecutive balls in the 17th over. While Tewatia scored 11 runs, Khan was sent back to the dugout on a golden duck.

Rabada then concluded his great spell in the penultimate and dismissed Lockie Ferguson for five runs. 

Alzarri Joseph and Sai Sudharsan then tried their best in the last over and managed to take Gujarat Titans' score to 143 runs. 

Shikhar Dhawan bats responsibly to lead Punjab Kings to a comfortable victory.

Jonny Bairstow and Shikhar Dhawan opened for Punjab Kings. However, the decision to send Bairstow first backfired as the Englishman could only score a single run off of 6 balls and returned to the pavilion in the third over as Shami struck his first wicket.

Sri Lankan Bhanuka Rajapaksa then joined veteran Dhawan. Both Rajapaksa and Dhawan took off brilliantly, added 87 runs to the scoreboard and helped set up an excellent foundation for Punjab's chase.

En route to his third half-century of the season, Shikhar Dhawan got substantial support from the Sri Lankan. Rajapaksa scored 40 runs off of 28 runs with five boundaries and a six to his name. However, Rajapaksa had to depart to the dugout in the 12th over after Lockie Ferguson caught his leg before the wicket. 

After Rajapaksa's dismissal, Liam Livingstone came to the crease and smashed a quick 30 off ten balls. Livingstone tried to smash every ball and was successful with most of them as he clobbered Mohammed Shami for four sixes that included a massive 117m hit. 

Punjab Kings successfully chased their target in the 16th over and finished the match at 145/2.

Despite a disastrous last game in which Punjab Kings failed to pace the innings well, they learned from their mistakes and beat the target within 16 overs this time.

It was a much-needed win for Punjab, who have had difficulty keeping consistency with five wins and as many losses this season. Now, Punjab Kings will face Rajasthan Royals on May 7.

On the other hand, Gujarat Titans will play Mumbai Indians on May 6,