Tata IPL 2023: Samson, Hetmyer keep Rajasthan top of IPL table after beating Gujarat
Chasing 178 for victory, last year's runners-up Rajasthan depended on Samson's 32-ball 60 and an unbeaten 56 by Hetmyer to achieve their target with four balls to spare in Ahmedabad.
AFP
April 17, 2023 / 12:23 IST
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Powerful knocks by skipper Sanju Samson and Shimron Hetmyer led Rajasthan Royals to a stunning three-wicket win over holders Gujarat Titans to stay top of the IPL table on April 16. (Image: IPL T20)
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Chasing 178 for victory, last year's runners-up Rajasthan depended on Samson's 32-ball 60 and an unbeaten 56 by Hetmyer to achieve their target with four balls to spare in Ahmedabad. Rajasthan were two down for four and then 55-4 when Samson and Hetmyer put together 59 off 27 deliveries to bring alive the chase at the world's biggest cricket ground. (Image: AP)
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Samson took on leg-spinner Rashid Khan in an over and smashed a hat-trick of sixes and then took on another Afghanistan spinner before departing. (Image: IPL T20)
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Noor Ahmad, a left-arm wrist spinner, came in as impact player for Gujarat and after getting smashed for a six and four got Samson caught out. (Image: AFP)
But the dismissal only fired up the left-handed Hetmyer who kept up the charge as he and Dhruv Jurel, who hit 18, got 20 runs from an Alzarri Joseph over to near the target. (Image: AFP)
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Hetmyer finished off the chase with a six off Ahmad, an IPL debutant who was given the final over by skipper Hardik Pandya. (Image: AFP)
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Mohammed Shami stood out with figures of 3-25 for Gujarat, who won the title last year in their fairytale debut season in the T20 tournament. (Image: AFP)
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Earlier Shubman Gill (45) and David Miller (46) guided Gujarat to 177-7 after being invited to bat first in the second match of the day. (Image: AFP)
Gill started strongly despite losing partners including Wriddhiman Saha to a dramatic mid-pitch catch by Trent Boult off his own bowling after the ball bounced off Samson's gloves following a near collision between three fielders. Gill put on a 59-run stand with Pandya to take the attack to the opposition. (Image: AP)
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Sandeep Sharma denied Gill his fifty but the left-handed Miller smashed boundaries in his 30-ball knock and got help from the other end with Abhinav Manohar hitting 27 off 13 balls. (Image: AFP)
