Gujarat Titans (GT) ended the unbeaten run of Rajasthan Royals (RR) in a nail-biting final in Jaipur on Wednesday. While RR looked set to suffer a fifth consecutive defeat, GT made a dramatic comeback in the last five games, scoring 73 off the last 30 balls. With two runs needed off the last ball, the pressure was on bowling all-rounder Rashid Khan to win the match. He hit Avesh Khan for four to secure all two points for Team GT.

After hitting the winning boundary, Rashid made a gesture towards the dugout that went viral on social media.

Delivered again

Relive the thrilling ending @gujrattitan win!

Review the game @starsportsindia & @Jiocinema #TATAIPL | #RRvGT pic.twitter.com/eXDDvpToZ0

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 10, 2024

“You have to stay positive,” Rasheed said. “The more positive thoughts you have within yourself, the better the results will be.”

When asked where the Royals lost, captain Sanju Samson laughed and said “it was the last ball of the game”, adding that it was “difficult” to speak after the defeat.

But he still praised the Titans’ performance.

“You have to give credit to the Gujarat Titans, the way they batted, bowled and defended,” Samson said.

After some initial inconsistency, Yashasvi Jaiswal scored 24, England’s Jos Buttler added eight and Ryan Parra, 22 Riyan Parag helped build a formidable total.

He celebrated his third fifty in five innings, this time off 34 balls.

Parag scored 74 runs thanks to a smart catch from Vijay Shankar.

But Samson, who hit 68, and Shimron Hetmyer, who is unbeaten in 13 games, guided Rajasthan to 196-3, keeping their hopes of a fifth consecutive win alive.

In the chase, RR pacer Kuldeep Sen smashed the Titans’ top order and posted figures of 3-41.

However, GT captain Shubman Gill was stumped with a 72 to push Gujarat’s total higher, while Rahul Tewatia’s 22 Be eliminated.

But Rasheed led the Titans over the edge, scoring 24 points in a wild final game.

(With AFP input)