Friday’s lopsided Indian Premier League (IPL) match between Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals ended in a nine-wicket victory for Gujarat Titans. With Hardik Pandya scoring a quick 39 off 15 deliveries and Wriddhiman Saha finishing unbeaten on 41 off 34 balls, the defending champions quickly reached their small 119-run mark. Gujarat, who had won seven of their ten games, maintains its lead atop the standings with the victory.
Shubman Gill and Wriddhiman Saha put up a strong opening partnership of 71 runs as the Gujarat Titans started their pursuit. They started strong, smashing Trent Boult for a few fours each on the powerplay to put the Rajasthan Royals in trouble.
The final dismissal of Gill by Yuzvendra Chahal for a 35-ball 36 in the 10th over did not affect Gujarat’s hegemony. Then, to speed up the process, Pandya turned his attention to Rajasthan’s bowlers, hammering Adam Zampa for three sixes and a four in the eleventh over.
Rajasthan Royals lost earlier in the game after electing to bat first after winning the toss and were dismissed for a pitiful 118 in 17.5 overs. Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad of the Gujarat Titans shared five wickets between them and were responsible for most of the damage. Up until the fifth over of the innings, when they were 47 for one, Rajasthan’s batting appeared to be in command. However, the home team crumbled without offering any resistance, losing nine wickets for just 71 runs.
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Rajasthan attempted to gain momentum thanks to the partnership of Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal, but their 36-run second-wicket stand was interrupted in the last over of the powerplay when Abhinav Manohar made a diving catch to halt a cut from Samson. Jaiswal was then much beyond the crease when Rashid Khan struck the stumps. Rashid’s outstanding performance of 4-0-14-3 caused a collapse, and Noor Ahmad recorded numbers of 3-0-25-2.
Samson, who scored 30 off 20 balls with three boundaries and one six, was the only batsman to significantly contribute to Rajasthan’s score. Rashid, though, ruined his promising start when he mistimed a stroke and caught the RR captain inside the ring. Gujarat’s disciplined bowling caused Rajasthan’s middle order to crumble, with only Riyan Parag hitting more than four runs and reaching double figures.
Rajasthan Royals suffered their fourth loss in five games at the hands of Gujarat Titans in the last game, which they won easily. The Pandya-led team increased their point total to 14 after 10 games, while Rajasthan Royals maintained their fourth-place position after 10 games with five victories and as many losses.
Finally, Gujarat Titans’ outstanding performance against Rajasthan Royals with both the bat and the ball resulted in a lopsided victory. Rajasthan was held to a meager total, which Gujarat easily chased down because of the excellent ball-handling of Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad. Gujarat’s position at the top of the IPL points table and rising reputation as one of the tournament favorites are both strengthened by the outcome.