IPL 2023: Sanju Samson, Shimron Hetmyer carnage guides RR to 3-wicket win against GT in Ahmedabad

Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson and batter Shimron Hetmyer scored half-centuries to guide their side to a three-wicket win against defending champions Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Samson won the toss for his side and opted to bowl first. The visitors got off to a flying start with New Zealand pacer Trent Boult getting rid of Wriddhiman Saha in the first over itself. Saha hit the ball high up in the air and, to the surprise of many, Samson, Shimron Hetmyer and Dhruv Jurel charged in to take the catch and all three of them banged into each other, but luckily the ball bounced off safely in the hands of Boult.

B Sai Sudharshan got off to a good start but couldn’t convert it into a big score, and was run-out after a great fielding effort from Jos Buttler. Then, Shubman Gill held on to his end and formed a crucial 59-run partnership with captain Hardik Pandya, before Yuzvendra Chahal struck to send Pandya back to the pavilion.

Pandya scored 28 runs off 19 balls, hitting three boundaries and a solitary six. Shubman was close to completing his third fifty of IPL 2023 but fell short by four runs, falling at the hands of the in-form Sandeep Sharma. Shubman scored 46 runs off 34 balls, hitting four boundaries and a maximum.

Abhinav Manohar was promoted up the order and he repaid the trust put in him by the team management by scoring 27 runs off 13 deliveries. David Miller played a crucial knock, scoring a 30-ball 46 before Sandeep dismissed him in the final over. In the end, GT finished with 177 for 7 on the scoreboard after 20 overs.

GT started the second innings in phenomenal fashion, with Pandya dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal for just one run in the second over. But it was the experienced Mohammed Shami who dealt the hammer blow to RR by getting rid of the dangerous Jos Buttler by cleaning him up for a duck in the third over, leaving RR reeling at 4 for 2.

Devdutt Padikkal and Samson formed an important 43-run stand before Rashid Khan struck to remove Padikkal in the ninth over. Riyag Parag’s unimpressive form in IPL 2023 continued as he was removed by Rashid after scoring just five runs off seven deliveries.

But Samson played a captain’s knock to get his side back in the game. Samson, who was dismissed on back-to-back ducks in RR’s last two matches against Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings, made an incredible comeback against GT. Samson, alongwith Hetmyer, formed a quick-fire 59-run stand, which saw Samson hit his 19th IPL fifty before being dismissed by debutant Noor Ahmad.

Samson hit 60 runs off 39 balls, smashing three boundaries and six maximums. However, Hetmyer continued with the onslaught after Samson’s departure, and remained unbeaten on 56 runs off 26 balls, hitting two fours and five sixes.

Dhruv Jurel and Ravichandran Ashwin played crucial knocks towards the end of RR’s innings to guide them to a three-wicket win over the defending champions. With this win, RR held on to the top spot in the IPL 2023 points table, with four wins in five matches.