Rashid Khan masterminds Titans victory

Rashid Khan produced an outstanding all-round performance to lead the Gujarat Titans to a thrilling last-ball three-wicket win over the Rajasthan Royals in their Tata Indian Premier League match at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur, on Wednesday.

The home side set them a target of 197, after scoring 196 for three in 20 overs. The Titans replied with 199 for seven in 20. This is the Titans' second victory over the Royals in Jaipur in consecutive seasons. With this win, the Titans broke the Royals' unbeaten run in the tournament.

The Afghanistan star came into the IPL off an injury that kept him out of the game for a while. He struggled in his first five matches, where he bagged five wickets at an average of 34.6 and an economy of 8.65. Khan found form with the ball during the Royals' innings, conceding a miserly 18 runs in four overs, where he also took a single wicket. The spinner was so exceptional that the next best bowler in his team was Spencer Johnson with an economy of 9.25 runs an over.

With the bat, Rashid Khan arrived at the crease with the Titans in need of 40 runs from 15 deliveries. He carved 11 fours for his unbeaten 24 off 11. His 37-run partnership with Rahul Tewatia (22 from 11) off 14 balls almost saw the Titans home.

EXCEPTIONAL GILL

Rashid Khan and Tewatia were able to produce heroics thanks to an exceptional innings from Shubman Gill. The Titans captain scythed six fours and two sixes on his way to 72 off 44. His knock kept the Titans within close reach of the required run rate and where the Royals had been in their innings.

In their previous matches, the Titans showed a heavy reliance on Gill and Sudharsan. Coming into the match, the pair had scored 49 per cent of the Titans' runs. They had shared a single partnership of 50 or more runs. The Titans needed them to create a solid foundation and they did so with a steady 64-run opening stand.

Despite the Titans' reliance on him, Gill was yet to register a milestone. The Titans captain kept getting starts that he failed to convert. Against the Royals, he had done half the job with his opening partnership with Sudharsan. The other half was him not losing his wicket early and batting deep. And that is what he did.

The India star survived a ferocious Kuldeep Sen spell that folded the Titans' middle order in half. In his spells, Sen dismissed three - Sai Sudarshan, Matthew Wade and Abhinav Manohar - in eight deliveries. But he couldn't dislodge Gill.

The Titans captain piloted his team's innings until the 16th over.

GREAT EFFORT FROM SAMSON AND PARAG

The Royals' total came courtesy of fluent innings from Sanju Samson and Riyan Parag. The No 3 and No 4 batters combined for a brilliant 130-run partnership that gave the Royals a competitive total. Parag is enjoying a purple patch since being given a run in the tournament. The 22-year-old was sensational as he scored his third half-century in four innings, a 48-ball 76 that featured three fours and five sixes.

Samson, who is playing in his 50th match as the RR captain, celebrated the occasion in style with an unbeaten 38-ball 68. The 29-year-old No 3 batter arrived at the crease in the fifth over, at a time when his team needed cool heads as it rebuilt its innings after the loss of an early wicket. He creamed seven fours and two sixes in his innings. This was his third half-century of the season and 23rd of his IPL career.

Samson and Parag's partnership was the perfect springboard for Shimron Hetmyer to come in and smash 13 off five balls in a cameo that left RR four runs from 200. Unfortunately, Parag, Samson and Hetmyer's efforts were not enough to stop the Titan's train from charging to victory.

Kuldeep Sen was the most successful bowler in the match with three wickets for 41 runs in four overs. His teammate, Yuzvendra Chahal, bagged two wickets for 43 runs in his four-over quota.

RAJASTHAN ROYALS: Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, R Ashwin, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Sen, Yuzvendra Chahal.

GUJARAT TITANS: Shubman Gill (c), Sai Sudharsan, Vijay Shankar, Abhinav Manohar, Matthew Wade (wk), Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Umesh Yadav, Spencer Johnson, Mohit Sharma