Rashid Khan led a thrilling final-over finish as Gujarat Titans defeated Rajasthan Royals by three wickets in the Indian Premier League on Wednesday.
Khan hit three boundaries off Avesh Khan’s last over to help Gujarat score 199-7 (20 overs). Skipper Shubman Gill top-scored for the Titans with 72 off 44 balls, with Khan’s 11-ball 24 not out providing the finishing touch to the chase.
Rajasthan hosts scored 196-3 in 20 overs, with Riyan Parag (76) and Sanju Samson (68 not out) both scoring half-centuries.
The Royals lost their openers cheaply, and Jos Buttler, who had scored a century in his last match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, was caught off Rashid Khan for eight.
Yashasvi Jaiswal's poor form with the bat continued as he was dismissed for 24 off 19 balls.
Rajasthan was reduced to 42-2 in 5.4 overs before Samson and Parag combined for their third-wicket partnership, which lasted until the 19th over.
The in-form pair put on a 130-run stand off 78 balls, benefiting from some poor fielding by Gujarat.
Parag was dropped twice before the halfway mark, while Samson also survived two chances.
The duo took control of the game by scoring attacking half-centuries, which helped to revive the Royals' innings.
Parag was particularly aggressive, hitting four sixes and two fours to reach 50 off 34 balls. In total, he faced 48 balls and hit five sixes.
Parag scored his third half-century in five outings this season. Samson scored 50 off 31 balls, hitting seven fours and two sixes.
Parag was dismissed in the penultimate over. Samson and Shimron Hetmyer (13 not out) added 24 runs off the last eight deliveries as the Royals fell short of 200.
Gujarat's chase began well, with Gill adding 64 runs off 50 balls alongside Sai Sudharsan (35).
Medium pacer Kuldeep Sen, who led the Rajasthan bowling and picked 3-41 overall, trapped Sudharsan lbw.
He took two more wickets, dismissing Matthew Wade for 4 and Abhinav Manohar for just 1. Gujarat lost three wickets in 15 deliveries after being 64-0.
Gill scored his second half-century of the season, reaching 50 off 35 balls, and laid the groundwork for Gujarat's third win in six games.
The Titans' chase in the second half was chaotic. Gill was stumped off by Yuzvendra Chahal, who also bowled Vijay Shankar for 16.
Shahrukh Khan, who was brought in as a replacement, scored 14 off eight balls. But it was the seventh-wicket partnership between Rashid Khan and Rahul Tewatia that changed the game.
The pair scored 39 runs in just 15 balls, reducing the target to the final over. Tewatia intentionally got out to allow Khan to face the last delivery, which he hit for a boundary towards deep backward point.
This defeat was the first for Rajasthan, who were previously unbeaten in five games this season.