Gurkeerat Singh Mann's unbeaten 139 went in vain as Tamil Nadu defeated Punjab by six wickets in an Elite Group B match of the Vijay Hazare one-day tournament.
Mann's 139 off 121 deliveries (14x4s, 7x6s) had helped Punjab score 288 for four in 50 overs. However, Tamil Nadu romped home with an over to spare.
A 185-run second-wicket partnership between Narayan Jagadeesan (101 off 103 balls) and Baba Aparajith (88 off 115 balls) put Tamil Nadu on course for a win after the early loss of Arun Karthik's wicket.
Towards the end, Shahrukh Khan, who bagged a Rs 5.25 crore contract with Punjab Kings at the IPL auction, showed his big-hitting prowess as his 36-ball 55 helped closed the match in Tamil Nadu's favour. Khan hit seven fours and a six.
Earlier, Punjab found themselves in deep trouble losing two early wickets with the score on 30 in 11.3 overs.
However, Mann and Prabhsimran Singh (71 off 84 balls, 4x4s, 3x6s) added 116 runs for the third wicket to resurrect the innings.
Sanvir Singh made 58 off 53 balls (4x4s, 3x6s).
Punjab 288/4 in 50 overs (GS Mann 139 not out, Prabhsimran 71, Sanvir 58) lost to Tamil Nadu 289/4 in 49 overs (N Jagadeesan 101, B Aparajith 88, Sharukh Khan 55 not out).
