Skipper Hardik Pandya shines as Gujarat Titans beat Rajasthan Royals by 37 runs
Navi Mumbai, Apr 14: Skipper Hardik Pandya enhanced his reputation as a number four batter with an unbeaten 87 off 52 balls as Gujarat Titans trounced Rajasthan Royals by 37 runs in the Indian Premier League here on Thursday.
Hardik, whose strike rate and approach has been questioned at his new position, played responsibly when it was needed before displaying the power he is known for to lead Titans to 192 for four after being sent into bat.
The in form Jos Buttler (54 off 24) provided another flying start to Royals but the rest of the batting unit did not deliver as the innings ended at 155 for nine in 20 overs.
Young left-arm pacer Yash Dayal (3/40) impressed on IPL debut while Lockie Ferguson (3/23)) got the important wicket of Buttler, who was deceived by the New Zealander's slow yorker after a series of quick deliveries.
Ferguson also dismissed Ravichandran Ashwin in the same over after the senior India spinner was promoted to bat at number three.
The other notable contribution to Royals' innings came from Shimron Hetmyer (29 off 17). From 56 for one, Royals slipped to 90 for five and could not recover from there on.
Hardik, who has been bowling regularly this season, also picked up a wicket but he took himself off the attack in the 18th over after feeling a little discomfort in the groin area.
With their fourth win in five games, Titans displaced Royals from the top of the points table. It was Royals' second loss in five games.
Earlier, Hardik found an able ally in Abhinav Manohar (43 off 28) before he exploded in the company of David Miller (31 not out off 14) to power the IPL debutants to their highest score of the tournament.
Hardik and Manohar shared an 86-run stand for the fourth wicket before the skipper and Miller blasted 53 off 25 balls to end the innings in style.
After being put in to bat, Gujarat found themselves reeling at 53 for three.
While Hardik's 52-ball knock was studded with eight fours and four sixes, Manohar struck four fours and two maximums.
Miller, who overall hit five boundaries and a six, fetched 21 runs in the penultimate over off Kuldeep Sen (1/51).
To start with, Hardik was aggressive on pacer Kuldeep as he hammered him for three successive boundaries in the fifth over.
He then fetched his first maximum in the seventh over, when he clobbered Riyan Parag over his head.
The duo upped the ante when Manohar launched into inform Yuzvendra Chahal, hammering him for a four and maximum, a lofted inside-out drive over cover.
The two then took on Kuldeep, hammering him for three boundaries in the 14th over, where Hardik also notched up his fifty, with a cut towards backward point fence.
And in the next over, Hardik clobbered two successive maximums off seasoned spinner Ashwin, who leaked 16 runs in the over.
With Titans reaching 130 for three in 15 overs, the stage was set for a big total.
After Manohar departed, Miller ably supported the skipper.
Titans lost opener Matthew Wade (12) cheaply, courtesy a direct hit by Rassie Van Der Dussen from cover.
Titans slipped to 15/2, as Vijay Shakar (2) also perished cheaply and then a rusty looking Shubman Gill (13) became Parag's first victim, after he was caught by Shimron Hetymyer at the long-on fence.
Royals missed the services of lead pacer Trent Boult who was ruled out of the game due to a niggle.
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Fiery Siraj helps GT restrict SRH to 152/8
Hyderabad, Apr 6 (PTI): Mohammed Siraj bowled with fire in his belly to return excellent figures of 4/17 as Gujarat Titans restricted Sunrisers Hyderabad to 152 for eight in their Indian Premier League match here on Sunday.
Siraj dismissed struggling openers Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma cheaply before coming back to add two more wickets to his tally on a slow surface.
Left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore (2/24) and seamer Prasidh Krishna (2/25) too performed admirably but a wayward Ishant Sharma leaked 53 runs in his four overs to allow SRH cross 150 after they were 135 for eight at the start of the final over.
Head (8) had a fortuitous start as his edge off Siraj went past the stumps for a boundary. However, Siraj had the last laugh as the pacer got rid of the danger man from Australia when the opener flicked one for Sai Sudharsan to complete a smart diving catch at mid-wicket.
The crowd at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium found their voice after a few boundaries.
Siraj, however, had other ideas as the pumped-up seamer sent back Abhishek after the batter took the aerial route but failed to get the timing right and was caught at mid-on.
This meant the SRH openers' struggles continued in this edition of the IPL as the side reached 45 for two at the end of the power play.
Even as the visitors dominated proceedings at that stage, they faced some anxious moments when Glenn Phillips got injured. After being attended to by the physio, Phillips hobbled off the field.
Ishan Kishan (17) perished when he miscued a pull off a Prasidh Krishna short ball to deep square leg where Ishant completed the catch.
The duo of Nitish Kumar Reddy (31 off 34 balls) and Heinrich Klaasen (27 off 19 balls) tried to revive SRH innings with a fifty-run stand for the fourth wicket, a phase where GT got a few fours and a six by the South African big-hitter against Rashid Khan.
But just when SRH looked like laying the foundation for a respectable score, left-arm spinner Sai Kishore picked up the prized wicket of Klaasen whose leg stump was disturbed as he rocked back to employ the pull shot.
Reddy too perished while trying to smash Sai Kishore out of the park, leaving SRH at 105 for five in the beginning of the 16th over.
