 "Punjab Kings' Ashutosh Sharma smashed Jasprit Bumrah for a sweep shot six in PBKS' defeat to Mumbai Indians. AP")
A sweep shot six against Jasprit Bumrah! Not many have done this even in international cricket let alone the Indian Premier League (IPL), but on Thursday Punjab Kings’ Ashutosh Sharma was in inspired form as he swept express pacer Bumrah for a maximum behind square leg. That six epitomised Ashutosh’s spirit and innings as he scripted another thrilling rearguard heroics for PBKS in IPL 2024.
Chasing 193 for win at home at Mullanpur against Mumbai Indians, PBKS were reduced to 77/6 in the 10th over before No.8 batter Ashutosh took control of the proceedings. This was also the start of a whirlwind knock by Madhya Pradesh’s Ashutosh who scored 61 off just 28 balls and smashed seven sixes at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium to help Punjab add 106 runs after the fall of the sixth wicket. It’s second highest amount of runs a team has scored after losing six wickets during an innings in IPL history with the highest being 115 by Sunrisers Hyderabad against Rajasthan Royals in a match in 2013.
The highlight of Ashutosh innings, however, was the sweep shot against Bumrah which will remain viral for a long time.
Still it was Bumrah’s night eventually as he took three wickets for 21 and was declared the Player of the Match after Punjab Kings were bowled out for 183 in the final over to suffer a nine-run loss.
Punjab’s stand-in captain Sam Curran was full of praise for 25-year-old Ashutosh who has emerged as the latest sensation in IPL 2024.
“Another incredible knock from the young guy (on Ashutosh), but another close loss. It’s very tough,” Curran said.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“They have incredible confidence, you see a guy like Ashutosh having the confidence to play the sweeps and the big hits against pacers, it’s so great to watch them in action.”