Ahmedabad, April 4 Tushar Deshpande bowled an outstanding final over, delivering six consecutive balls either down the leg side or wide, showcasing top-class bowling as Rajasthan Royals edged out Gujarat Titans by six runs in an IPL thriller on Saturday.
This was Royals' second consecutive win in the tournament, while the Ashish Nehra-coached GT team has now lost two matches in a row.
Rajasthan Royals scored 210 for 6 in their 20 overs, thanks to half-centuries from Dhruv Jurel (75 off 42 balls) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (55 off 36 balls).
Despite Sai Sudharsan's 73, GT were struggling at 161 for 7 before Kagiso Rabada (23 not out) and stand-in captain Rashid Khan (24) brought the team closer to victory, needing only 10 runs off the final over.
However, Deshpande had other plans. He started the final over with a wide, but then delivered three singles and a fuller length ball that Rashid conceded a dot. In the end, only four runs were scored, and the Titans felt they had lost a crucial opportunity.
With Shubman Gill absent due to muscle spasms, Sai Sudharsan (73 off 44 balls) partnered with debutant Kumar Kushagra (18 off 14 balls), but it was Sudharsan who dominated the 78-run opening stand. Sudharsan's elegance is unparalleled among the new generation of T20 batsmen.
Even the sixes he hit – nine boundaries plus three more – seemed like perfectly timed shots. Kushagra focused on supporting Sudharsan. However, when Bishnoi dismissed Sudharsan with a half-tracker, GT lost control as the leg-spinner varied his length and pace.
From 107 for 1, they suddenly slipped to 133 for 5, and subsequently to 161 for 7, with all the key batsmen dismissed.
However, Rabada and Rashid launched a fierce counter-attack, but it wasn't enough in the end.
Earlier, Jurel played a brilliant aggressive innings, scoring 75 off 42 balls to guide Rajasthan Royals to a challenging 210 for 6 after opting to bat.
In the RR innings, Jaiswal looked back in form, scoring 55 off 36 balls after Sooryavanshi smashed 31 off 18 balls in the opening stand.
Jurel settled into his role as No. 3, demonstrating that he could score at over 150. His powerful pull shot off Ashok Sharma after reaching his fifty was a highlight – a testament to his strong core and good hands. He hit five sixes and an equal number of boundaries.
For Gujarat Titans, Ashok Sharma (1/37 in 4 overs) emerged as a promising pace bowler, clocking 154.2 kmph and consistently bowling at high speeds. However, BCCI coaches would need to be careful as there are examples of Mayank Yadav and Umran Malik to learn from.
Jurel's innings was reminiscent of the early days of IPL, where one player would hold the innings together before unleashing a barrage of shots. His six off Rashid Khan over deep mid-wicket, after dancing down the track, was a highlight.
With Shubman Gill absent due to muscle spasms, Royals captain Riyan Parag wisely decided to bat, and the opening pair didn't disappoint.
The Sooryavanshi-Jaiswal pair may still be relatively new, having come together last year, but a statistic by 'Cricviz' would indicate their dominance.
Out of the 113 pairs in IPL history with 500-plus runs together, Jaiswal and Suryavanshi stand out with a scoring rate of 12.04 runs per over, placing them third in the list behind Travis Head-Abhishek Sharma (12.57) and Sunil Narine-Phil Salt (12.46).
With the quartet of Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada, Prasish Krishna and Ashok all extracting extra bounce and pace, shot-making during the Powerplay overs became easier as batters could simply use the pace.
The fearless Sooryavanshi started with a flurry of boundaries, including one off Rabada lofted over mid-off. The standout shot was a last-minute adjustment off a short ball from Ashok that he cut uppishly for a six.
Rashid dismissed Sooryavanshi who played one shot too many, while Jurel and Jaiswal added another 56 for the second wicket.