“Gujarat Titans winning another IPL title,” Netizens hail Hardik Pandya and Co. for thumping Rajasthan Royals by nine wickets

Gujarat Titans continued their dominance against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Friday as the defending champions thrashed the runners-up by nine wickets.

“Gujarat Titans winning another IPL title,” Netizens hail Hardik Pandya and Co. for thumping Rajasthan Royals by nine wickets

Defending champions Gujarat Titans are playing like a champion team, winning seven out of ten matches played so far in IPL 2023. The Hardik Pandya-led team has not lost any game played away from their home ground in Ahmedabad. Gujarat Titans continued their dominance against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Friday as the defending champions thrashed the runners-up by nine wickets.

After being asked to bowl first, Gujarat got the first breakthrough as Hardik Pandya got rid of Jos Buttler. However, Sanju Samson and Yashaswi Jaiswal kept GT devoid of a wicket for a while, forming a 36-run partnership. But a mix-up between the two cost the wicket of in-form Jaiswal. Samson and Devdutt Padikkal carried on for their team but Joshua Little got the RR skipper and the innings went downhill from thereon. 

The Afghanistan spin duo of Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad then got into the act sending back one RR batter after the other. While Ahmad got Padikkal and Dhrul Jurel, Rashid dismissed Riyan Parag, R Ashwin, and Shimron Hetmyer. RR were bowled out for 118 and it was a cakewalk for Hardik and Co.

Wriddhiman Saha (41* off 34) and Shubman Gill (36 off 35) provided a solid start (71-run opening partnership). Captain Hardik Pandya then provided the finishing touches (39* off 15) to seal the deal for GT. With the defending champions running past every opponent with sheer ease, fans started reacting on social media. 

Check out the tweets here:

https://twitter.com/Prisha__Kaur/status/1654529673697820672?s=20

Related: “Doing his best to get released,” fans lambast Riyan Parag for failing to impress even as Impact Player

Hardik lets Rashid handle business with Noor

rashid khan noor ahmad

With the Afghanistan spin duo of Rashid and Noor, especially the latter shining for the defending champions, Hardik Pandya was asked about the reason behind the consistent performances. Pandya revealed how letting the two compatriots be themselves helps the team. 

“I let Rashid handle the business with Noor. Nobody better to communicate. Not much I have to do, I only suggest on when to have a slip. They are very confident about what they want to do, we only have conversations when things aren’t going right,” said Pandya.

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