The Rajasthan Royals came into their IPL match against the Gujarat Titans with a formidable record of scoring 50+ runs in the powerplay session of matches played so far in the tournament. However, that streak came to an abrupt end as the Titans’ duo of captain Hardik Pandya and pacer Mohammed Shami put up a fantastic bowling performance to restrict the visitors to a mere 26 runs in the powerplay session.
It was an exceptional display of fast bowling from the Titans, as Pandya and Shami picked up crucial wickets to put the Royals on the backfoot right from the start. Pandya was the first to strike, dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal in the second over of the innings. Jaiswal, who had been in good form in the previous matches, was caught by Shubman Gill at slip, giving the Titans an early breakthrough.
Shami, who came in to bowl in the third over, picked up the wicket of Rajasthan Royals opener Jos Buttler in his very first over. The ball swung in sharply and hit the off-stump, resulting in Buttler’s dismissal for a duck. This put the Royals in a difficult position, with two of their key batsmen back in the pavilion without scoring much.
Thanks to the fantastic performance by Pandya and Shami, the Rajasthan Royals were restricted to their lowest score in the powerplay session of the tournament so far.
RR in PP this season
85/1 vs SRH
57/3 vs PBKS
68/0 vs DC
57/1 vs CSK
26/2 vs GT
