IPL 2023: Hetmyer, Samson rescue Rajasthan Royals as they defeat Gujarat Titans by three wickets

With a stunning three-wicket win over holders Gujarat Titans on Monday, Rajasthan Royals registered impressive back-to-back away wins to stay top of the IPL table on Sunday.

This time, it was powerful knocks by skipper Sanju Samson and Shimron Hetmyer that led Rajasthan Royals to victory. Chasing 178, last year’s runners-up Rajasthan depended on Samson’s 32-ball 60 and then, an unbeaten 56 by Hetmyer to achieve their target with four balls to spare in Ahmedabad.

Impressive bowling from Gujarat Titans’s pacers, particularly Mohammed Shami saw Rajasthan reduced to two down for four. Their misery was made worse as spinners Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad, the wrist spinner who came in as impact player further reduced them to 55/4 with Devdutt Padikkal (26) and Riyan Parag (5) dismissed.

However, Samson and Hetmyer put together 59 off 27 deliveries to bring alive the chase. Samson took on Rashid Khan in an over and smashed a hat-trick of sixes and then took on another Afghanistan spinner before departing.

Noor Ahmad, after getting smashed for a six and four got Samson caught out. But the dismissal only fired up the left-handed Hetmyer who kept up the charge as he and Dhruv Jurel, who hit 18, got 20 runs from an Alzarri Joseph over to near the target.

Hetmyer finished off the chase with a six off Ahmad, who was given the final over by skipper Hardik Pandya.

Mohammed Shami stood out with figures of 3/25 for Gujarat.

Earlier Shubman Gill (45) and David Miller (46) guided Gujarat to 177-7 after being invited to bat first in the second match of the day.

Gill started strongly despite losing partners including Wriddhiman Saha to a dramatic mid-pitch catch by Trent Boult off his own bowling after the ball bounced off Samson’s gloves following a near collision between three fielders.

Gill put on a 59-run stand with Pandya to take the attack to the opposition.

Sandeep Sharma denied Gill his fifty but the left-handed Miller smashed boundaries in his 30-ball knock and got help from the other end with Abhinav Manohar hitting 27 off 13 balls.

With AFP inputs