The clash between arguably the two best teams in this edition of the Indian Premier League saw Gujarat Titans emerge victorious over Rajasthan Royals.
Hardik Padya’s side now go up to the top spot, a place they occupied during their undefeated run. Rajasthan, who were the table-toppers heading into the contest, moved to the third position in what was a massive hit to their flourishing net run-rate, now just barely below the Kolkata Knight Riders in third place.
Pandya’s sterling campaign as a captain and as a player continued, as he put on a batting masterclass, scoring a magnificent 87* to take his side to a match-winning total of 192/4 at the end of 20 overs.
Sanju Samson won the toss and decided to put the Titans into bat. Gujarat got off to a decent start, with keeper Matthew Wade smashing three fours, filling the Titans’ faithful with hope. However, the oasis was but a mirage, as Wade’s innings was cut short by some brilliance in the field by Rassie van der Dussen.
Vijay Shankar, who came in at number three, absorbed seven balls for his two runs before taking the long walk back. Amidst the chaos, Pandya stepped in at No.4, and started off wonderfully. The run rate sped up as Hardik was at his fluent best, with Shubman Gill being a mere spectator at the other end. Gill’s innings eventually came to an end just after the powerplay, falling to Riyan Parag.
Abhinav Manohar then joined his skipper in the middle and continued his impressive run for the Titans this season. The Karnataka player was excellent, scoring freely to constantly take pressure off Pandya, as the Titans’ score was heading towards a large total. With Hardik also firing at the other end, Manohar struck four boundaries and a couple of sixes before departing for an outstanding 43 off 28.
Pandya and David Miller went berserk in the end overs, smashing the Royals all over the park, as the South African scored a 14-ball 31. Hardik motored along to finish on an unbeaten 87 as the Titans set the Royals a daunting target of 193.
Rajasthan looked like they would make short work of the target to begin with, as Jos Buttler just tore into the Titans bowling attack right from ball one. The Englishman smashed 28 runs in the first two overs of the Rajasthan innings before they suffered their first casualty, with Devdutt Padikkal departing for a golden duck.
The Royals sprung up a huge surprise, promoting Ravichandran Ashwin up to No.3. Ashwin’s stay did not last for long, and neither did skipper Samson’s, who also departed after being run-out by his counterpart.
Buttler carried on his lone effort, getting to a brilliant half century before the end of the powerplay. However, his stay did not go on much longer, as a superb Lockie Ferguson slower ball brought about his downfall. From that point forwards, it was basically a matter of time for the Rajasthan Royals’ eventual loss.
Shimron Hetmyer’s brief cameo of 29 in 17 was entertaining, but his dismissal signalled the beginning of the end for the Royals. Riyan Parag and Jimmy Neesham tried their best to revive the game, but it was just not possible, as the Titans were the superior side on the day.
The Royals lost by 37 runs, knocking down their position on the points table to third place. Pandya was the undisputed man of the match for his staggering performance in all departments as his side went to the top of the table.
Brief scores
Gujarat Titans 192/4 (Pandya-87*; Manohar-43; Parag-1/12) beat Rajasthan Royals 155/9( Buttler-54; Hetmyer-29; Ferguson-3/23) by 37 runs
