Titans Off to a Strong Start
Rajasthan Royals won the toss and chose to bowl first. Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill opened for Gujarat Titans. Jofra Archer began the attack and gave away a boundary to Sudharsan in the first over. Fazalhaq Farooqi came from the other end. Sudharsan kept the scoreboard moving with another boundary in the second over. However, Archer struck early. He removed Gill for just 2 runs. Jos Buttler joined Sudharsan and began rotating the strike smoothly.
After 3 overs, Gujarat reached 21/1. Sudharsan looked confident. He smashed a six off Farooqi in the fourth over. Then, he punished Tushar Deshpande with two boundaries and a six in the fifth. Gujarat brought up their fifty in the sixth over.
Steady Partnership Builds Momentum
By the end of the powerplay, Gujarat were at 56/1. Sudharsan was on 39 off 22 balls, while Buttler had 11 off 11. Both batsmen played sensibly and built momentum. Buttler found two boundaries in the seventh over and brought up a 50-run stand with Sudharsan. In the eighth, Buttler attacked Theekshana, taking Gujarat to 81/1.
Sudharsan reached his half-century in the 10th over with a boundary. He took 32 balls to get there. However, Buttler fell LBW to Theekshana on the final delivery of the same over. He scored 36 off 25 balls. Gujarat stood at 94/2 after 10 overs.
Shahrukh Adds Firepower
Shahrukh Khan came in at No. 4. He and Sudharsan maintained the flow of runs. Shahrukh took on Deshpande and then hit Theekshana for boundaries in the 14th over. Gujarat raced to 140/2 after 14 overs. The duo completed a 50-run stand in the 15th over. However, Theekshana dismissed Shahrukh in the 16th. He had scored 36 off just 20 balls.
Sherfane Rutherford came next and opened with a six. Gujarat reached 163/2 after 16 overs. But Sandeep Sharma dismissed Rutherford on the first ball of the 17th over. Rahul Tewatia joined Sudharsan and immediately launched a six. Sudharsan and Tewatia powered the innings further with big hits, pushing Gujarat to 187/4 after 18 overs.
Titans Set a Mammoth Target
Deshpande removed Sudharsan and Rashid Khan in the 19th over. Sudharsan top-scored with 82 off 53 balls. Gujarat ended at 201/6. Tewatia and Arshad Khan played the final over. Tewatia provided fireworks to take Gujarat to 217/6 in 20 overs.
Royals Struggle Early in the Chase
Chasing 217, Rajasthan opened with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson. Mohammed Siraj opened the bowling. He gave away 9 runs in the first over. Arshad Khan struck in the second over, removing Jaiswal for 6. Nitish Rana came next but lasted only two balls. Siraj dismissed him early. Riyan Parag joined Samson and hit a six to get going.
After 3 overs, Royals were 18/2. Sanju and Parag started counter-attacking. Parag hit a six off Prasidh Krishna. By the end of the powerplay, Royals reached 57/2. Samson was on 21, Parag on 25.
Titans Fight Back With Wickets
Kulwant Khejrolia, introduced as impact player, dismissed Parag in the 7th over. Dhruv Jurel came in and hit a boundary to finish the over. Rashid Khan removed Jurel in the 8th over. Hetmyer came to the crease. After 8 overs, RR were 69/4. Hetmyer hit a six off Rashid, and Royals moved to 85/4 in 10 overs.
Samson and Hetmyer attacked Khejrolia in the 11th over and crossed 100 runs. But Prasidh Krishna removed Samson for 41 in the 13th. Shivam Dube came in but fell to Rashid Khan in the 14th over. Archer joined Hetmyer at 127/7.
Hetmyer Fights Lone Battle
In the 15th over, Hetmyer survived a dropped catch and then hit a six. He brought up his fifty with a boundary in the next over. But Krishna removed Archer and then Hetmyer in the same 16th over. Royals slipped to 145/8.
Sai Kishore got Deshpande in the 17th over. With Theekshana and Sandeep at the crease, Royals limped to 152/9. Sai Kishore returned in the 20th over and dismissed Theekshana. Rajasthan Royals got bowled out for 159 in 19.5 overs and lost by 58 runs.
