IPL 2023, GT vs RR: Samson, Hetmyer help Rajasthan cruise through top spot; Gujarat at third
IPL 2023, Gujarat Titans (GT) vs Rajasthan Royals (RR): David Miller's 46, Sanju Samson's 60, Shimron Hetmyer's 56 are top three performances. Rajasthan beat Gujarat and move to top of the points table.
Brief Scores: Rajasthan Royals 179/7 (Sanju Samson 60, Shimron Hetmyer 56 not out, Mohammed Shami 3/25) beat Gujarat Titans 177/7 (David Miller 46, Shubman Gill 45, Sandeep Sharma 2/25) by 3 wickets.
Player of the match: Shimron Hetmyer (56 off 26)
Rajasthan Royals are coming off a two-match winning streak, with the 3-win run over Chennai Super Kings showing their depth in their bowling attack. The table-toppers are eying a third straight win against defending champions Gujarat Titans at Ahmedabad. Gujarat Titans have also done well so far, with the only loss coming against the KKR where Rinku Singh slammed five sixes in a row to steal the win. They would be continuing the winning momentum with a second straight win.
Rajasthan Royals are proving that it’s not how you start but how you end that matters in a cricket match. This time, their hard-hitting openers failed, but the middle order led by captain Sanju Samson followed by Shimron Hetmyer did the job for the team. Also, Royals’ bowling firepower showed they can limit any opposition, even on a batting-friendly wickets. They restricted the Titans to 177/7 on a batting beauty. Later, RR chased down the target with four balls remaining.
Read More: IPL 2023, CSK vs RR: Dhoni's heroics in vain as Rajasthan Royals seal victory
Gujarat Titans stutter to 177/7
Put into bat at their home ground in Ahmedabad, Gujarat Titans lost opener Wriddhiman Saha on the third ball of the first over bowled by Trent Boult. The catch, could have been spilled after three RR players collided in the middle of the pitch before the ball popped out of Sanju Samson’s gloves and taken by Boult. Sai Sudarshan then fell next via run-out for 20. Titans then have their best stand of 59 runs in 5.3 overs before captain Hardik Pandya fell for 28 off Yuzvendra Chahal’s bowling.
Meanwhile, Shubman Gill played the anchor role to perfection, batting sensibly to score 45 off 34 balls before he fell in the 16th over off Sandeep Sharma’s bowling. David Miller and Abhinav Manohar then put a quick stand of 45 runs in 3.4 overs with the latter being the aggressor, hitting three sixes for his 13-ball 27. Miller made 46 off 30 balls to take the team’s score to 177/7.
Read More: IPL 2023, PBKS vs GT: Gujarat Titans clinch thrilling six-wicket victory over Punjab Kings
