Rashid Khan stole the show as Gujarat Titans halted Rajasthan Royals’ unbeaten run in this edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) with a three-wicket win.
Chasing a mammoth target of 197 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Wednesday, not many expected the Titans to pull it off when it needed 73 runs in the last five overs. However, with Rashid (24 n.o., 11b, 4×4) and Rahul Tewatia forging a crucial 38-run stand, Titans turned the tide before the former sealed the deal with a last-ball four.
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After Riyan Parag (76, 48b, 3×4, 5×6) and captain Sanju Samson (68 n.o, 38b, 7×4, 2×6) guided Rajasthan Royals to 196 for three, Titans started off steadily with captain Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan adding 64 runs for the opening partnership before Kuldeep Sen struck.
Featuring in his first match of the season, the young fast bowler shook the Titans ship upside down with his first couple of overs – dismissing Sudharsan, Matthew Wade and Abhinav Manohar.
The Titans slipped to 83 for 3 at the end of the eleventh over. As wickets tumbled, the onus was on Gill to keep his side in the hunt.
Having scored yet another fifty, Gill showed resilience and hit Yuzvendra Chahal for consecutive boundaries before getting stumped in the 16th over. As a dejected Gill walked back to the dugout, it seemed all over for Titans, but Rashid and Tewatia had other plans.
After showing his guile to finish with figures of 4-0-18-1, Rashid displayed his range of stroke-play with the willow, while Tewatia, too, played a 11-ball-22-run cameo.
Bowling the penultimate over, Sen conceded 20 runs and that turned the game the Titans’ way.
Earlier in the day, a sudden shower before the toss prompted Titans to bowl. Yashasvi Jaiswal, not in the best form, began aggressively and scored 24 off 19 deliveries before Matthew Wade took a terrific catch off Umesh Yadav to end his stay.
Rashid sent back Jos Buttler soon, but the Titans failed to build on the advantage. While Wade dropped Riyan twice, poor fielding, too, let the Titans down. Parag took the maximum strike during the 130-run third-wicket partnership with skipper Samson. But Titans had the last laugh.
