Twitter Reactions: Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad help Gujarat Titans restrict Rajasthan Royals to the lowest total in Jaipur

It was another terrifying bowling effort by the defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) when they locked horns with Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Sawai Mansingh Indoor Stadium in Jaipur on Friday, May 5. The home team put up a below-par score of 118 on the board, with no batter scoring more than 30 runs. Notably, RR’s total marked the lowest score in the Jaipur pitch.

RR skipper Sanju Samson won the toss and opted to bat first. RR openers Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal seemed to have established a solid start for the home team. But the England batter was removed by GT skipper Hardik Pandya in the second over of the innings.

Meanwhile, Mohit Sharma ran out Jaiswal as he and skipper Samson struggled to form a crucial partnership. It’s worth mentioning that RR scored more than 50 runs in the powerplay despite losing two crucial wickets.

Rashid, Noor stars as GT bundle out RR by 118

GT bowlers Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad were instrumental for GT as they bundled out RR for a meagre 118 in 17.5 overs. Rashid finished with figures of 3/14 while his Afghan counterpart Ahmad picked two wickets and conceded 25 runs.

After the powerplay, Joshua Little came into the attack and removed Samson for 30 runs, which is the highest score among RR batters. Rashid, on the other hand, provided a massive breakthrough for the Hardik Pandya-led side as he dismissed Ravichandran Ashwin. When the Royals wanted to form a partnership, they brought in Impact Player Riyan Parag, but the strategy backfired as he was also dismissed by Rashid, leaving the home side reeling at 72/5 after 10 overs.

Noor Ahmad then bowled a brilliant leg-spinner to dismiss Devdutt Padikkal. He also took Dhruv Jurel’s wicket, making RR’s situation even more dire. Rashid Khan, on the other hand, struck again for his third wicket, dismissing Shimron Hetmyer. Apart from them, Mohammed Shami also took a wicket as GT bundled out RR by 118 runs in 17.5 overs.