Samson, Hetmyer take Rajasthan to the top

Rajasthan Royals eked out a narrow three-wicket win over Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season on Sunday night.

Asked to bat, Gujarat posted 177 for seven in their 20 overs and in their response Rajasthan chased down the target in 19.2 overs to finish on 179 for seven.

Earlier Gujarat was reduced to 32 for two. Then a 57 run stand between Shubman Gill and skipper Hardik Pandya for the third wicket revived the innings. David Miller then took charge of the innings. Miller made 46 off 30 balls with three boundaries and two sixes. Abhinav Manohar added 45 runs for the fifth wicket with Miller which put the innings back on track. In the end Gujarat finished on 177 for seven in their 20 overs. For Rajasthan the best bowler was Sandeep Sharma (2-25).

In their response, Rajasthan was reduced to four for two. Then Devdutt Padikkal added 43 runs for the third wicket with skipper Sanju Samson. Then Samson took charge of the chase with a 59 run fifth wicket stand with Shimron Hetmyer. Samson (60: 32b, 3x4, 6x6) was the top-scorer of the innings. Hetmyer put on 47 runs for the sixth wicket with Dhruv Jurel. In the end Hetmyer remained unbeaten on 56 off 26 balls with two boundaries and five sixes. Rajasthan finished on 179 for seven in 19.2 overs. For Gujarat the best bowler was Mohammed Shami (3-25). 

Match Summary
Gujarat Titans: 177-7 (20)
Fall of wickets: 1-5 (Wriddhiman Saha-0.3 ov), 2-32 (Sai Sudharsan-4.6 ov), 3-91 (Hardik Pandya-10.3 ov), 4-121 (Shubman Gill-15.2 ov), 5-166 (Abhinav Manohar-18.6 ov), 6-175 (David Miller-19.4 ov), 7-176 (Rashid Khan-19.5 ov)

Rajasthan Royals: 179-7 (19.2)
Fall of wickets: 1-2 (Yashasvi Jaiswal-1.3 ov), 2-4 (Jos Buttler-2.5 ov), 3-47 (Devdutt Padikkal-8.3 ov), 4-55 (Riyan Parag-10.3 ov), 5-114 (Sanju Samson-14.6 ov), 6-161 (Dhruv Jurel-18.2 ov), 7-171 (Ravichandran Ashwin-18.5 ov)

Match Stats

Gujarat Titans Fall of wickets: 1-5 (Wriddhiman Saha - 0.3 ov), 2-32 (Sai Sudharsan - 4.6 ov), 3-91 (Hardik Pandya - 10.3 ov), 4-121 (Shubman Gill - 15.2 ov), 5-166 (Abhinav Manohar - 18.6 ov), 6-175 (David Miller - 19.4 ov), 7-176 (Rashid Khan - 19.5 ov)

Rajasthan Royals 

Playing XI
Gujarat Titans: Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Hardik Pandya (captain), Abhinav Manohar, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Alzarri Joseph, Mohammed Shami, Mohit Sharma; Subs: Joshua Little, Jayant Yadav, Noor Ahmad, Srikar Bharat, Dasun Shanaka

Impact player: Noor Ahmad for Shubman Gill (2nd innings, 11.6 ov)

Rajasthan Royals: Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper & captain), Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Adam Zampa, Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal; Subs: Devdutt Padikkal, Murugan Ashwin, Donavon Ferreira, Navdeep Saini, Joe Root 

Impact player: Devdutt Padikkal for Yuzvendra Chahal (1st innings, 16.6 ov)

Match Details
Toss: Rajasthan Royals, elected to field
Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Start time: 1400 hrs GMT
Match officials: Anil Chaudhary, Chris Gaffaney (On-field Umpires); Nand Kishore (TV Umpire); Madanagopal Kuppuraj (Reserve Umpire); Prakash Bhatt (Match-referee)