IPL 2024 PBKS vs GT: How Shashank, Ashutosh became Punjab's saving grace?

Ashutosh Sharma and Shashank Singh, two players who were unknown ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, are now household names amongst the fans of the Punjab Kings. The Kings are struggling big-time this season, but these two lower-order, uncapped Indian batters have made the headlines in all of their last three home games. They are actually what you call a 'saving grace' for a franchise that has struggled to live up to the expectations. 

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Ashutosh- Shashank's contribution to Punjab's batting 

While the entire Punjab batting order in the first seven matches of the side has put on 820 runs at an average of 20 and strike rate of 127, the duo of Sashank and Ashutish have put on 343 at an astounding average of 57 and threatening strike rate of 190. 

PBKS Batting Contributions - IPL 2024
Players	Runs	Average	Strike Rate
Ashutosh and Shashanfi	343	57.1	190
Other Batters	820	20	127

 

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Punjab Kings' uncapped players have faced the highest number of balls 

Among the uncapped players of all the teams, it is those of the Punjab Kings that have faced the most number of balls in IPL 2024. The combination of Parabhsimran Singh, Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma, the three mainstays of Punjab batting among uncapped players, has played 293 balls and averaged 33 with a strike rate of 157. 

Most Balls Faced Uncapped Indian Batters - IPL 2024
Team	Balls Faced	Average	Strike Rate
PBKS	293	33	167
RR	234	58	150
SRH	199	44	198
RCB	129	19	144
GT	117	15	116
LSG	112	23	125
DC	109	13	133
KKR	105	24	162
MI	31	18	177
CSK	7	7	200

Ashutosh and Shashank: Great strikers of the ball 

Not only have the 25-year-old Ashutsh and 32-year-old Shashank scored big runs, but their biggest strength has been the rate at which they have scored those runs. While Ashutosh has struck at 205, equalling Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Dinesh Karthik as the player with the highest strike rate in IPL 2024, Shashank strikes at 180 to rank among the top 10 as well. 

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Highest Strike Rate in IPL 2024 (Min. 150 runs scored)
Player	Strike Rate
Dinesh Karthik	205
Ashutosh Sharma	205
Heinrich Klaasen	199
Travis Head	199
Abhishek Sharma	197
Tristan Stubbs	191
Sunil Narine	188
Shashank Singh	180
Ishan Kishan	173

In the failure of the likes of Jitesh Sharma and Lima Livingstone as recognised finishers for Punjab, the two unheard names are now the heroes that the Kings and their fans look up to in every game. 

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