IPL 2023 GT vs RR: Shimron Hetmyer, Sanju Samson Guide Rajasthan Royals To Thrilling Revenge Win Over Gujarat Titans
IPL 2023 GT vs RR: Shimron Hetmyer and Sanju Samson played sensational knocks as Rajasthan Royals avenge the 2022 Indian Premier League final loss over Gujarat Titans by 3 wickets in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
Hetmyer smashed the ball for a six over midwicket into the LCD ad screens. Absolutely incredible comeback from the Royals here, they were 4/2 after the first three overs and from there, Sanju Samson first anchored their fightback and then Shimron Hetmyer finished it. Samson smashed 60 off 32 and Hetmyer is unbeaten on 56 off 26.
The victory was Royals’ first ever over Titans in IPL as they also maintained the top spot after edging the hosts in a thriller.
Rampant Rajasthan now have 4 wins in 5 games while Gujarat keep their third spot on the points table.
IPL 2023 GT vs RR: Hetmyer, Samson lead incredible fightback as Royals beat Titans by 3 wickets
Riding on the duo’s power-packed innings, the Royals crossed the target of 178 runs with four balls to spare.
When Hetmyer took guard, the Royals were tottering at 55 for four in the 11th over and a fourth consecutive defeat versus Titans was looming large. But Samson – timing the ball at his best – started clearing the fence effortlessly. His hat-trick off sixes off Rashid Khan was a treat to watch.
Hetmyer soon joined the party and went after fellow Caribbean Alzarri Joseph’s pace. Even after Samson perished to left-arm wrist spinner Noor Ahmad – debuting in IPL as an Impact Player – Hetmyer continued to control the chase.
Despite Mohammed Shami accounting for Dhruv Jurel and Ravichandran Ashwin in the penultimate over, crucial hits by the lower order batters meant Hetmyer had to score seven runs off the last over.
It took him two balls off Noor to complete the formalities, fittingly ending the night with a six over wide long-on.
Earlier in the night, Shubman Gill played the sheet anchor to near-perfection. Captain Hardik Pandya pressed the accelerator in the middle. Abhinav Manohar and David Miller then provided the final flourish. As a result, the Titans notched up an imposing total of 177 for seven at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
However, the Royals ensured the Titans didn’t have a decisive or long partnership which meant the innings turned out to be an essay without a peak.
In the end, that proved to be the difference as Samson and Hetmyer’s knocks made all the difference.
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