Ashutosh Sharma slams his maiden IPL half-century: Key stats
Ashutosh Sharma has been the find of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season. The Punjab Kings player hit a majestic 61-run knock against the Mumbai Indians in Match 33 of the IPL 2024 season. Ashutosh came to the crease when his side was 77/6 in a chase of 193. He took the game closer before MI prevailed by nine runs.
A brilliant knock from Ashutosh's blade
Ashutosh smashed a sensational 28-ball 61 to bring Punjab back out of nowhere. He shared two pivotal stands with Shashank Singh and Harpreet Brar. He entertained with his versatile shot-making. Notably, he swept Jasprit Bumrah for a six and took Akash Madhwal to the cleaners. He was caught out in the deep (18th over). Gerald Coetzee got his prized scalp.
Breathtaking form for Ashutosh in his debut IPL season
Ashutosh has been superb in his debut IPL campaign. In his debut match versus Gujarat Titans, Ashutosh smacked 31 from 17 balls. In the next match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Ashutosh scored 33* from 15 balls. Versus Rajasthan Royals, he clobbered 31 from 16 balls. He has now smashed his maiden IPL fifty from 23 balls. He finished on 61 from 28 balls.
A strike rate of 205.26 in the IPL
In four matches, Ashutosh has smacked 156 runs at an average of 52. He owns a strike rate of 205.26. The right-handed batter has smashed nine fours and 13 sixes. Tonight, Ashutosh hit two fours and seven sixes (SR: 217.86).
Key records made by Ashutosh
As per Cricbuzz, Ashutosh is now the sixth batter in the IPL to smash a 50+ score while batting at number 8 or below. Notably, he is the first PBKS batter to attain the milestone. Ashutosh is the second player in IPL history to smash 100-plus runs in a season while batting at number eight or below (also Rashid Khan for GT, IPL 2023).
Ashutosh's dismissal was the turning point
Ashutosh's wicket was the turning point in the contest. Bumrah's spell was over and Punjab needed 25 runs from 18 balls. Ashutosh got carried away and wanted to go big against Coetzee but was dismissed. Punjab scored 183/10 and lost to MI.
