Rajasthan Royals (RR) pulled off a completely improbable win over Gujarat Titans (RR) during their fifth match in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. Playing at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday, 16 April, RR gunned down the target of 178 runs despite being down by 4 wickets for 55 runs in the 11th over of the game. Royals’ skipper, Sanju Samson, and batter Shimron Hetmyer put in exceptional performances to help Royals pull off a brilliant win, that solidified their position at the top of the league table.
The game changed in the 13th over of the game, when Sanju Samson smashed three sixes off Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan. Khan, one of the best bowlers in the history of the shortest format of the game conceded 46 runs from his four-over spell and scalped 2 wickets. With the momentum swinging towards Rajasthan, Shimron Hetmyer eked out full benefit and scored a rapid 56* off 26 balls and was awarded the player of the match.
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Rajasthan Royals coach Kumar Sangakkara, showered immense praise on the captain for his innings and said that he caught Rashid off-guard with his counter-attacking ability.
During a session in RR’s dressing room, Kumar Sangakkara said, “Skipper, you not just got us through the powerplay but Rashid Khan over, and then you kicked on from there, that was the game changer. Their best bowler, some say the best T20 spinner in the world, was completely caught off-guard.”
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He further added, “It just goes to show that when you’re in the game, anything is possible. Whether it’s Rashid Khan, Shane Warne, or Muralitharan. It doesn’t matter when we are in the game. We play the ball, not the man. Brilliantly done.”
This was Rajasthan’s fourth win in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 5 matches. They have only lost against Punjab Kings – their second match of the tournament, failing to chase down 198 runs.
Play the ball, not the man! 💪 pic.twitter.com/C2CvL25mor
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) April 16, 2023
