Ashwin was given the 'Man of the Match' award for his all-round performance, which consisted of a knock of 30 runs with the bat and a spell of 2/25 in four overs with the ball.
PBKS rode on skipper Shikhar Dhawan (86 runs; 56b, 9x4, 3x6) and his opening partner Prabhsimran Singh's (60 runs; 34b, 7x4, 3x6 brilliant 90-run stand, and a magnificent spell from paceman Nathan Ellis (4/30) to beat RR by a narrow five-run margin.
A fiery four-wicket haul by Nathan Ellis and a skilful exhibition of death bowling by Sam Curran in the final over helped Punjab Kings overcome a late flourish by the duo of Shimron Hetmyer and Dhruv Jurel to clinch a five-run win over Rajasthan Royals in last over thriller at Barsapara Cric
In the chase of 204 runs, Sunrisers was off to a disastrous start as pacer Trent Boult dismissed Abhishek Sharma and Rahul Tripathi for ducks in the first over itself, reducing SRH to 0/2 in 0.5 overs.
Desert Vipers defeated Gulf Giants by 19 runs to book a spot in the International League T20 final. Desert Vipers storm into the final riding on Tom Curran and Wanindu Hasaranga's all-round show.
Shimron Hetmyer, who was Gulf Giants' hero in their previous match against MI Emirates through his last ball six, scored a stroke-filled 54 off 35 balls with four sixes and two boundaries. He was backed by skipper James Vince's 39 runs to help Gulf Giants post 180 for 6 in 20 overs.
Chris Jordan with figures of 3 for 12 and Dominic Drakes (2 for 21), David Wiese (2 for 14) and Rehan Ahmed (2 for 27) set the stage for victory. Gulf Giants batsmen batted with caution and MI Emirates bowled tightly giving nothing away till the exciting last over. MI Emirates is in third sl
The former Zimbabwean captain also spoke about the talented cricketers from the UAE, who are part of the Giants' squad, and said that the local cricketers are in a good space, singling out the young Sanchit Sharma for praise.
Head Coach, Andy Flower shared his thoughts ahead of the season, saying that he is quite pleased with the players at his disposal and is quietly optimistic about the team's chances at the inaugural league.