JAIPUR: Rajasthan Royals did not so much lose the chase as surrender it in instalments. Set 230 after Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan had laid waste to their attack, Royals folded for 152 in 16.3 overs at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Saturday, handing Gujarat Titans a 77-run win and a significant lift in the playoff race.
This was the same Royals side that had edged Titans by six runs in Ahmedabad earlier in the season. Here, under the squeeze of the business end, they looked a team with cold feet. There was a brief blaze from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Dhruv Jurel, but once Rashid Khan entered the game, the chase unravelled quickly.
Royals' chase falls apart
RR were not short of intent at the start. Sooryavanshi, brought in as 'impact player', smashed 36 off 16 balls to give the innings early life. But Mohammed Siraj had him caught in the third over and Kagiso Rabada removed stand-in captain Yashasvi Jaiswal for three runs soon after. By the time Rabada also accounted for Shimron Hetmyer, the Royals were 68/3 in 5.4 overs despite the run-rate.
Jurel briefly changed the mood with 24 off 10 balls but Rashid found his range immediately. A googly breached Jurel in the eighth over and, two balls later, Donovan Ferreira was beaten by a leg-break. The Royals' Powerplay gallop of 78/3 had become 91/5 by the end of the eighth.
Ravindra Jadeja tried to stretch the contest with 38 off 25 balls but Rashid returned to bowl Shubham Dubey and trap Jadeja LBW, finishing with 4/33. Jason Holder then cleaned up the lower order with 3/12 as Royals collapsed with 21 balls unused.
Titans' dominant batting
Earlier, Titans openers made Royals pay for choosing to bowl first. Gill and Sudharsan stitched together 118 in 65 balls, their partnership headlined by an 82-run Powerplay. Gill's 84 off 44 balls was all timing and command. Sudharsan's 55 off 36 carried the same quiet efficiency that has made him one of Gujarat's most reliable run-makers.
Jofra Archer set the tone for RR's indiscipline. His opening over lasted 11 balls — equalling the longest-over mark in the IPL — and went for 18, full of wides, a no-ball and overthrows. Archer finished with a poor 0/46 from his three overs.
Stay updated with the latest IPL Live Score, IPL news on Times of India. Follow the IPL Schedule, check the IPL Points Table, and track the race for the IPL Orange Cap and IPL Purple Cap.
