In a dominant display, the Gujarat Titans (GT) defeated the Rajasthan Royals (RR) by nine wickets in Match 48 of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. GT's spin duo of Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad spun a web around the RR batsmen to restrict them to a below-par total of 118, which the Titans chased down with more than six overs to spare.
Winning the toss and opting to bat first, RR got off to a decent start with Yashasvi Jaiswal and skipper Sanju Samson looking good with the bat. However, GT skipper Hardik Pandya broke through with the wicket of Jos Buttler early on. Jaiswal continued to bat positively, but a superb fielding effort from Abhinav Manohar saw him run out for 29. Pandya then struck again, this time removing Samson to leave RR struggling at 49/3.
GT's spinners then took control of the game, with Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad picking up wickets at regular intervals to leave RR reeling at 72/5 at the halfway mark. The Titans bowlers continued to exert pressure on the home team, and RR eventually folded for just 118 in the 19th over, with Rashid Khan finishing with figures of 3/14 and Noor Ahmad picking up 2/25.
Chasing a modest target of 119, GT openers Shubman Gill and Wriddhiman Saha got off to a brisk start, with the fifty partnership coming up in just the seventh over. Yuzvendra Chahal finally gave RR a breakthrough by dismissing Gill, but GT skipper Hardik Pandya smashed three sixes and a four in one over from Adam Zampa to take the game away from the home team.
Pandya continued his blitz and raced to an unbeaten 37 off just 13 balls, while Saha played a steady hand at the other end. Saha hit the winning runs as GT registered a comprehensive nine-wicket win over RR, with more than six overs to spare.
This victory consolidated GT's position at the top of the IPL 2023 table, while RR remained in fifth place. GT will look to continue their winning momentum in their next game against the Kolkata Knight Riders, while RR will aim to bounce back against the Chennai Super Kings.