In the 24th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, Rajasthan Royals (RR) defeated Gujarat Titans (GT) by three wickets at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Rajasthan Royals won the toss and opted to field first. The decision worked as the home side were restricted to a good par score of 177 at the ground which had witnessed runs of around 200 being chased. Sandeep Sharma once again showcased his brilliance with the ball along with others which helped them to stop GT batters.
In the chase, the Jaipur-based team got off to a rough start as both the inform openers headed back to the pavilion without scoring much. It was Devdutt Padikkal‘s (26) and skipper Sanju Samson‘s (60) knock which built the momentum for the first-ever IPL champions. While Padikkal only managed to give a start, Samson went on to score a fabulous half-century which included three fours and six sixes. Post captain’s departure, Shimron Hetmyer (56*) took the innings forward and played a crucial role in RR’s win. The southpaw batter from Guyana hammered two fours and five sixes which ensured victory. While Hetmyer stood tall from one end, Druv Jurel (18) and Ravichandran Ashwin (10) also contributed valuable runs from the other end which helped RR to wrap the game in 19.2 overs.
With the bat in the first innings, GT once again got off to a powerful start courtesy of Shubman Gill‘s (45) handy knock. David Miller (46) also played a decent knock towards the end while a few contributions also came from the likes of Hardik Pandya (28), Sai Sudharsan (20) and Abhinav Manohar (27). It was a decent batting effort from the defending champions but lacked a few runs in the middle overs.
In the first innings with the ball for RR, two wickets were picked by veteran Sandeep Sharma. Furthermore, Trent Boult, Adam Zampa and Yuzvendra Chahal also managed to claim one wicket each.
For GT, Mohammad Shami tried his best as he plucked three wickets. Rashid Khan also scalped two wickets but conceded plenty runs. Alongside these, one wicket each was also taken by Hardik Pandya and Noor Ahmad.
Shimron Hetmyer was named Player of the Match for his match-winning knock. With this win. RR have won their fourth game of the season and are positioned first in the points tally.
Scorecard:
Gujarat Titans: 177/7, Overs 20, David Miller 46, Sandeep Sharma 2/25
Rajasthan Royals: 179/7, Overs 19.2, Sanju Samson 60, Mohammad Shami 3/25