IPL 2026, PBKS vs GT – Gill: Ashok Sharma will be ‘very valuable’ for Gujarat Titans with more experience

Ashok regularly hit speeds in the 140-145kph range, but also mixed it with back-of-hand slower balls. While he went in search of runs in his first innings (26 runs in two overs without a wicket), he returned to the death and bowled an impressive 18th over, which went for just five runs and saw Ashok pick his first IPL wicket, that of Marco Jansen.

“I bowled pretty well up front and I think at the back,” Gill said on the broadcast after the match. “He’s definitely someone that I think if he keeps playing more games and continues to gain more experience, he’ll be very valuable to us.

“He’s someone who works really hard on his game and he’s a pretty good fielder for us. And I actually met him a few months ago during the camp and I was really impressed by the way he bowls with the new ball as well. Hopefully in some of the games he’ll get a chance to show some of his skills with the new ball.”

It was one of Ashok’s back-of-hand slower balls that brought the wicket of Jansen, who eventually shot to cover for Gill. The wicket left PBKS seven behind, needing 16 from the last two overs. But Cooper Connolly and Xavier Bartlett finished the job with the bat. Ashok finished the match with figures of 1 for 31 from three overs.

“He’s exciting, there’s no doubt about that,” GT assistant coach Parthiv Patel said at the post-match press conference. “We saw him bowl in (the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy). He has pace. And he has the character too.

“The first two overs he went for runs but he came back to bowl the crucial 18th over, so he has that character. He is a proper athlete. So we are very excited about Ashok Sharma.”