Ahmedabad:
Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans have won the maiden title of their maiden Indian Premier League season after defeating Rajasthan Royals by 7 wickets.
With the powerful performance of GT captain Pandya, RR was restarted to 130 after 20 overs and the new franchise chased it without much pressure and difficulties.
Subhuman Gill scored 45 runs in the chase of 131 runs which was supported by Pandya’s 34 and Miller’s 32. GT also lost three wickets, Wriddhiman Saha, Pandya and Matthew Wade. /
Apart from Hardik, Sai Kishore scalped two wickets while Mohammed Shami, Yash Dayal, and Rashid Khan took one wicket each. Opted to bat first, Rajasthan made a good start to their innings with openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler scoring 21 runs in 3 overs. But the duo faced a blow after Yash Dayal dismissed Jaiswal in the 4th over, leaving the team’s total at 31/1.
Rajasthan skipper Sanju Samson joined Buttler at the crease and kept the scoreboard moving for their side. The duo took Rajasthan across the 50-run mark in 7 overs and kept the momentum alive.
Gujarat got another breakthrough in the 9th over, when Hardik Pandya dismissed Samson, who was caught by Sai Kishore, after scoring 14 runs. His departure brought Devdutt Padikkal on strike, who could not do much and was caught by Mohammed Shami on Rashid Khan’s delivery.
It was followed by another setback for Rajasthan as they lost the most precious wicket of Buttler in the very next over, as he fell prey to Hardik’s spell, leaving his side struggling at 79/4 in 13 overs.
Shimron Hetmyer and Ravichandran Ashwin joined hands at the crease and tried to anchor the innings for some time. Hetmyer was then caught and bowled by Hardik in the 15th over and Ashwin got dismissed by Sai Kishore in the 16th, with the team’s score at 98/6.
Riyan Parag and Trent Boult came to the crease as the last hopes for Rajasthan but could not stand long. Boult got caught by Rahul Tewatia on Sai Kishore’s delivery in the 18th over.
Parag was then joined by Obed McCoy, who got run out in the 20th over and it was followed by the former getting bowled by Mohammed Shami, ending Rajasthan’s innings at 130/9.
The IPL debutants now required 131 runs in 120 balls to clinch their maiden title.
Brief scores: Rajasthan Royals 130/9 (Jos Buttler 39, Yashasvi Jaiswal 22; Hardik Pandya 3/17) vs Gujarat Titans. (ANI)
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