01:20

BJP MLA's son booked in hit-and-run case in Chhattisgarh; biker critical

00:43

Civic polls: Row over Eknath Shinde's remarks on voting, development funds

00:31

Marriage refusal over caste issue drives T'gana doc to suicide

IPL 2025 Updates: Titans rout Royals; rise to top spot

Wed, 09 April 2025

Refresh

23:34

Titans rout Royals; rise to top spot

Gujarat Titans

Royals 159-all out (19.2 ovs) vs Titans 217-6 | Scorecard

Fitting that Sudharsan takes the catch to win the game for Titans after Theekshana hits it straight to the fielder at long-off off the bowling of Sai Kishore.

Royals are bowled out for 159 in 19.2 overs to suffer a 58-run thrashing.

Gujarat Titans win their fourth match in a row to jump to the top of the standings with eight points from five games.

Prasidh stole the show with the ball for Titans, taking 3/24 in four overs, while Rashid bounced back to form with 2/37 and Sai Kishore took 2/20.

Royals slip to seventh in the standings with four points from five games.

23:28

Hetmyer out for 52; GT set for win

Royals 158-9 (19 ovs) vs Titans 217-6 | Scorecard

The impressive Prasidh continues. He has once again done a good job in the middle overs, chipping away at the wickets. The extra bounce on the short balls bowled at express pace have been crucial to his success.

The last pairing of Theekshana and Sandeep manage to play out Prasidh's final over.

Just two runs from his final over, the 18th of the innings, as Krishna finishes with excellent figures of 3/24 in four overs.

Siraj back into the attack. He starts with a wide before Sandeep takes a single and Theekshana keeps out the yorker.

He has a big swing next ball but fails to connect followed by another dot ball.

Theekshana clips the fifth ball for a single and Sandeep back away to tap the last ball for one.

23:17

Hetmyer out for 52; GT set for win

Royals 152-9 (17 ovs) vs Titans 217-6 | Scorecard

Titans keep chipping away at the wickets. Sai Kishore continues his good wicket-taking form as he dismisses Tushar Deshpande. He goes for the big heave over cow corner but holes out to Rashid at deep midwicket to perish for three.

Sandeep Sharma gets an inside edge last ball for a couple of runs to fine leg.

Royals set for defeat as they are reeling on 152/9 in 17 overs.

23:15

Hetmyer out for 52; RR 8 down

Royals 145-8 (16 ovs) vs Titans 217-6 | Scorecard

Prasidh is back into the attack. Hetmyer drills the first ball through the covers for a four to bring up his fifty in style from 29 balls, as his blistering knock keeps Royals' hopes alive.

He gets a big leading edge next ball as it skies high but Gill running back from the covers towards mid-on is unable to get to the catch.

However, Prasidh strikes next ball. Archer is hurried into the pull shot as he ends up splicing a simple catch to Gill at mid-off to fall for four.

Prasidh ends Royals' hopes with the key wicket of Hetmyer. The bouncer bowled at express pace is too quick for the West Indian, who ends up pulling it straight to Sai Kishore at deep square leg.

Hetmyer walks back after a good hand of 52 from 32 balls, hitting three sixes and four fours.

23:07

Royals 6 down; Titans in control

Royals 139-6 (15 ovs) vs Titans 217-6 | Scorecard

A late introduction for spinner R Sai Kishore as he comes into the attack, to bowl the 15th over.

He starts with a wide before Hetmyer miscues the next ball on the off-side as Arshad Khan running in from the cover boundary makes a meal of an easy catch as the ball goes through his hands.

Sai Kishore bowls the bouncer as Hetmyer offers no stroke before he lofts the next over long-on for a six.

Singles off the next three as Kishore goes for 12 in his first over.

Royals need 79 from the last five overs.

23:02

Royals 6 down; Titans in control

Royals 127-6 (14 ovs) vs Titans 217-6 | Scorecard

Rashid getting into his groove. He has a confident shout turned down against left-hander Shubham Dubey as Titans decide against the review.

However, he gets his man next ball as the left-hander misses the flick and is given out leg before wicket.

That looks dead plumb but he still takes the review. But the impact is in line and the ball is going on to hit the stumps.

Royals sink further as they are reduced to 119/6 in the 14th over.

Jofra Archer gets off the mark with a single before Hetmyer sweeps the next for a four followed by a single.

Archer plays a nice drive through the covers for two runs as Rashid finishes with 2/37 -- his best figures in IPL 2025 after struggling in the first four games.

22:50

Samson out for 41; Royals in trouble

Royals 119-5 (13 ovs) vs Titans 217-6 | Scorecard

Rashid to bowl his third over as Sai Kishore is still held back. Singles off the first two balls before Hetmyer smashes the third ball powerfully back over the bowler's head for a six.

The next ball is quick but down the leg side as the left-hander swipes it past short fine leg for a four, followed by a dot ball as the batter misses the flick.

Rashid bowls a wide down the leg side before Hetmyer picks one off the last ball to retain strike as Rashid goes for 14 in his third over.

Pacer Prasidh is back into the attack. He makes the breakthrough with the crucial wicket of Samson, who looks to slash the back of length ball but gets the edge and is caught by Sai Kishore at short thirdman.

Samson departs after scoring 41 from 28 balls as Royals' hopes suffer a blow.

Shubham Dubey gets off the mark with a single and Hetmyer clips the fifth ball off his pads for two runs.

Wonderful bowling from Prasidh as he concedes just four runs from his second over.

22:42

Samson, Hetmyer take RR past 100

Sanju Samson

Royals 101-4 (11 ovs) vs Titans 217-6 | Scorecard

Still no signs of R Sai Kishore, the best spinner for Titans in IPL 2025 as Khejroliya continues.

Samson moves across his crease before hitting the ball down to long-off for one and Hetmyer swipes the full toss over midwicket for one and gets one next ball.

Samson picks the length early as he pulls the pacer high over square leg for a massive six.

The RR captain smashes the last ball for a boundary as Khejroliya goes for 16 in his third over.

Royals go past 100 in the 11th over.

22:38

Jurel out for 5; Royals in trouble

Royals 85-4 (10 ovs) vs Titans 217-6 | Scorecard

Hetmyer looks to release the pressure as he uses his feet to loft the spinner over long-on for a six and takes one next ball.

Samson picks one off the fourth ball before the spinner bowls a wide down the leg side.

The West Indian flicks the fifth ball along the ground to deep midwicket for another run.

Samson punches the last ball off the backfoot to long-off for a single as 11 come from the over.

Royals are 85/4 in 10 overs at the halfway mark, needing another 133 from 10 overs for victory.

Samson has looked good on 29 from 23 balls, while Hetmyer has made 12.

One of the two batters will look to bat aggressively and keep the boundaries coming in the middle overs.

22:34

Jurel out for 5; Royals in trouble

Royals 74-4 (9 ovs) vs Titans 217-6 | Scorecard

Rashid Khan, who has struggled so far in IPL 2025, makes a dream start. He strikes with the wicket of Jurel in his first over as his pull shot is taken by Sudharsan at deep midwicket.

Jurel is dismissed for five as Royals slip to 68/4 in the eighth over.

Rashid has a confident shout for leg before wicket turned down against Shimron Hetmyer off the very next ball.

The left-hander missed the flick shot and was struck on the pads as Titans take the review.

The ball has pitched outside the line of leg of stump as the review is lost.

Rashid enjoys a good record against Hetmyer, having dismissed him six times in 63 balls bowled overall in T20 cricket.

Hetmyer gets off the mark with a single from the last ball of the over.

Khejroliya continues from the other end. Hetmyer hits the first ball uppishly past a flying Tewatia at point, who is unable to get his hand to the ball.

The left-arm pacer does well to concede just five runs in his second over as the asking rate goes above 13.

22:25

Parag out for 26; Royals in trouble

Royals 65-3 (7 ovs) vs Titans 217-6 | Scorecard

Impact Player Kulwant Khejroliya into the attack, to bowl the seventh over. He starts with a short ball which Samson pulls for a single and Parag takes one off the next.

Samson hits the pacer through the covers for another run before Parag throws his bat at the length ball angled across but misses. There is a clear sound as the ball passes the bat as Buttler completes the easy catch with the umpire ruling it out.

Surprising that Parag takes the review straightaway despite the clear sound. The TV umpire rules Parag out after there is a clear spike on the UltraEdge.

He is unhappy as he walks off as he indicates to the on-field umpire that the sound was due to the bat hitting the ground, but the decision stands.

Dhruv Jurel wants a quick run but is sent back before a bouncer sails high over him and is ruled a wide.

Jurel plays a cracking pull shot last ball, smashing the pacer over suare leg for a six.

22:14

Samson, Parag steady Royals

Royals 57-2 (6 ovs) vs Titans 217-6 | Scorecard

Siraj to bowl his third over in the Powerplay. Parag shows intent as he hammers the length powerfully back over the bowler's head for a six.

He then takes a single to midwicket before Siraj bowls two superb yorkers forcing Samson to defend.

However, he misses his line as he dishes out a full toss which Samson flicks over midwicket for a four before he avoids the bouncer.

Parag dealing in sixes. He makes room before he whips new bowler Prasidh Krishna's first ball over midwicket for a six, a shot reminiscent of Dhoni's helicopter shot.

Parag has smashed 20 from eight balls, hitting three sixes, all over the leg side with similar shot off the pads.

He taps the next on the leg side for a single as Royals race past 50, in the sixth over.

Samson misses the pull as he is struck on the gloves for a single and Parag moves across but misses the scoop shot.

Prasidh bowls a cracking yorker as Parag is squared up with the ball going off the outside edge towards short thirdman. Surprising, that Prasidh appealed for leg before wicket.

The last ball is down the leg side as Parag easily glances it fine for a four.

Royals recover to 57/2 in six overs, with Parag stroking 25 from 12 balls and Samson hitting 21 from 14 balls.

22:04

Siraj strikes; Royals in trouble

Royals 34-2 (4 ovs) vs Titans 217-6 | Scorecard

Arshad beats Samson with a wide yorker. The ball was quite close to the edge as some of the GT players were interested in the caught behind appeal.

Samson throws his bat at the next ball and this time gets the thick outside edge which flies past the slip fielder for a four.

The next ball is back of length but too wide as Samson rocks back to slap it uppishly and the timing is so good that the ball goes all the way for a six.

Singles off the next two balls before Samson again takes full toll off the width to punch Arshad past point for a four, to get 16 from the over.

22:00

Siraj strikes; Royals in trouble

Royals 18-2 (3 ovs) vs Titans 217-6 | Scorecard

Siraj leaves Royals in further strife with the wicket of Rana in the next over.

A good short ball at the body cramps Rana for room but he still goes ahead with the upper cut, only managing to slice it to Khejroliya at thirdman to perish for one.

Royals in early trouble on 12/2 in the third over.

Riyan Parag watchfully keeps out the first two balls he faces, from Siraj.

He gets off the mark in smashing fashion, whipping Siraj in grand style over midwicket for a six to help release the pressure and blocks the last ball.

21:56

Blow for Royals; Jaiswal out for 6

Royals 12-1 (2 ovs) vs Titans 217-6 | Scorecard

Left-arm pacer Arshad Khan from the other end. Samson taps the first ball off his pads for a single on the leg side.

Arshad strikes next ball with the big wicket of Jaiswal, who slices the full wide delivery straight to Rashid at deep point to perish for six.

The pacer bowls a wide down the leg side to new batter Nitish Rana, who gets off the mark with a single.

Beauty from Arshad as he beats Samson with a beauty, getting the length ball to jag away and go past the outside edge before the RR captain keeps out the last two balls.

21:48

Sudharsan's 82 powers Titans to 217

Royals 9-0 (1 ov) vs Titans 217-6 | Scorecard

GT make an early change as left-arm pacer Kulwant Khejroliya is brought in as the Impact Player in place of Sherfane Rutherford.

Mohammed Siraj to open the bowling for Titans. The first ball is slanted across left-hander but is too away from the stumps and is ruled a wide.

The next ball is full and moves away as Jaiswal swings hard but is beaten on the outside edge.

He smashes the next powerfully in the gap between point and covers for a four before he leaves one angled across.

Siraj struggles with his control bowling two wides in a row before he is beaten, looking to smash the full delivery through the covers but darts across to beat the outside edge.

Another play and miss as Jaiswal is beaten for the third time in the over.

He flicks the ball in the gap at midwicket for a couple as nine come from the opening over.

21:28

Sudharsan's 82 powers Titans to 217

Sai Sudharsan

Titans 217-6 (20 ovs) vs Royals | Scorecard

Sandeep to bowl the final over. Tewatia finally gets going as he lofts the first ball over the fielder at mid-off to start the over with a four.

He is beaten next ball as Sandeep bowls the wide yorker followed by a wide.

Tewatia slogs the third ball, making good connection, to send the ball into the stands at midwicket for a six.

Sandeep foxes him next ball with the slower bouncer followed by another change of bouncer which sails high and is ruled a wide.

He hits the last ball into the off-side but doesn't take the single before he sweeps the last ball past short fine leg for a four.

Tewatia finished on 24 from 12 balls to power Titans to a healthy 217/6 in their 20 overs.

Except Archer, who took 1/30, all the Royals' bowlers took a hammering on a good pitch for batters.

Sudharsan starred with a brilliant 82 from 53 balls, while Buttler and Shahrukh bolstered the middle overs with quick knocks of 36 each and Tewatia provided the flourish at the end.

21:22

Sudharsan out for 82; GT 6 down

Titans 201-6 (19 ovs) vs Royals | Scorecard

Deshpande, who was hit for 39 in three overs, comes back to bowl the 19th over.

He finally finds some joy with the ball, picking up the key wicket of the well-set Sudharsan.

The yorker pitched wide of the stumps does the trick as Sudharsan swings across the line but gets the inside edge with Samson taking a sharp catch to his right.

Sudharsan walks back after a superb knock of 82 from 53 balls, having hit three sixes and eight fours.

Rashid Khan wastes no time as he hammers the first ball he faces over long-on for a six. He attempts to swing the next over the leg side but gets the top edge which flies over short fine leg for a four.

Deshpande bowls a wide before Rashid guides a wide yorker past point for two runs to take GT past the 200-run mark, in the 19th over.

Deshpande ends his spell with a wicket as Jaiswal comes up with a stunning catch at square leg to dismiss Rashid.

Rashid, who hit 12 from 4 balls, walks across his stumps to flick the pacer square but Jaiswal is alert at square leg as he takes a couple of steps to his right and puts in a full length dive to his right to take a wonderful catch.

21:16

Sandeep strikes; Titans 4 down

Titans 187-4 (18 ovs) vs Royals | Scorecard

Archer back to bowl the 18th over. The first ball is a full toss as Tewatia looks to heave it over the leg side but the ball goes off the top edge, carrying all the way over the thirdman fence for a six.

The next ball is a wide down the leg side as Tewatia misses with the flick before he takes one.

Sudharsan top edges the pull shot off the slower bouncer but it falls well short of the fine leg fielder for one.

He bowls a quick bounce clocked at 149kph as Tewatia is happy to sway out of the way before he pulls the next for one.

Sudharsan pulls the last ball straight to the fielder at deep square where Impact Player Shubham Dubey puts down a simple catch.

That was the slower bouncer as Sudharsan fails to control the pull shot as Dubey made a mess of an easy catch.

Archer goes for 11 runs in his final over, to finish with good figures of 1/30 in four overs.

21:08

Sandeep strikes; Titans 4 down

Titans 176-4 (17 ovs) vs Royals | Scorecard

Sandeep, the only bowler not to concede a boundary in this innings, strikes in his third over.

Rutherford throws his bat at the wide length delivery angled across but only manages the edge and is caught behind for six.

A crucial wicket for Royals as Titans lose two wickets in the space of four balls to be reduced to 163/4 in the 17th over.

Rahul Tewatia gets off the mark with a single to hand the strike back to Sudharsan.

The left-hander looks to rally Titans as he carves the wide delivery from Sandeep, the timing is superb as the ball carries over the cover fence for a six.

The next ball is again wide but fuller and Sudharsan plays a delectable inside out shot over the covers for a boundary followed by singles off the last two balls.

21:03

Shahrukh out for 36; Titans 3 down

Titans 163-3 (16 ovs) vs Royals | Scorecard

Sudharsan looks to make up for the previous over. He plays a cracking inside out shot off Theekshana's first ball over the covers for a four.

The next ball is fired in at 106kph as Sudharsan is beaten down the leg side but Samson fails to gather the ball.

He attempts to steal the quick bye as Sandeep is quick to get to the ball at short fine leg but misses the direct hit for the second time against Sudharsan, who might have gone had the ball hit the stumps.

He drives the third ball straight back past the bowler as Riyan Parag comes up with a diving stop at long-off to keep it down to two.

Another leg side wide by Theekshana as Samson fails to collect again to concede two extras.

Theekshana is finally rewarded. After a missed stumping earlier in the over, he finally strikes with the wicket of Shahrukh. The wide yorker beats Shahrukh, who chips down the track, and this time Samson makes no mistake as he whips off the bails.

Shahrukh walk back after a handy cameo of 36 from 20 balls, with Theekshana picking up his second wicket.

Sherfane Rutherford continues his rocking performance with the bat in IPL 2025. He needs no time to warm up, smashing the first ball he faces, from Theekshana wide of long-on for a majestic six.

He goes hard next ball trying to pull it square but fails to connect.

18 runs from the over as Theekshana finishes with 2/53 from his four overs.

20:56

Sudharsan hits fifty; GT set for big score

Titans 145-2 (15 ovs) vs Royals | Scorecard

Royals make a change as Shubham Dubey comes in as the Impact Player, replacing Farooqi after the 13th over.

Theekshana comes back into the attack. Singles from the first two balls before Shahrukh heaves the short ball into the stands over midwicket for a six.

The next ball is full and wide as Shahrukh throws his bat, getting a thick outside edge for a four.

The next ball is again overpitched and wide as Shahrukh opens the face of the bat, to stroke it square on the off-side for another four.

Theekshana gets back as he beats the right-hander with a flighted delivery, bowled much slower.

Samson appeals for the stumping which is referred upstairs but his back foot is inside the crease.

The runs continue to flow as Theekshana goes for 16 in his third over, with 40 coming from the last three overs.

The experienced Sandeep, who has three overs in hand, is back into the attack to bowl the 15th over.

Sudharsan cuts the first ball to deep point for a single and Shahrukh pulls the next ball for the same result.

A nicely-timed square drive by Sudharsan but only for a single to the sweeper and Shahrukh swats the fourth ball for another run.

The fifth ball is a yorker as Sudharsan can only defend it to point and he squeezes the last ball, another yorker, to deep point for just one.

Fantastic over under the circumstances as Sandeep gives away just five runs in the 15th over.

20:47

Sudharsan hits fifty; GT set for big score

Titans 124-2 (13 ovs) vs Royals | Scorecard

Farooqi comes back to bowl his fourth and final over. Shahrukh goes for the pull shot but gets it off the inside edge as the ball goes fine for a four.

The next ball is again on the pads as Shahrukh clips it behind square for another boundary before he is beaten attempting the pull shot.

Another slower bouncer as Shahrukh plays and misses again, trying to heave it over the leg side.

He upper cuts the short wide ball to thirdman for one and Sudharsan keeps strike with one from the last ball.

Deshpande is back into the attack after two expensive overs. He continues to struggle as the first ball -- a slower bouncer -- is upper cut by Sudharsan for a four.

He charges down the track and has a big swing next ball but is beaten on the inside edge.

The left-hander inside edges the third ball for one before the pacer bowls a high bouncer to Shahrukh which is ruled a wide.

He then shows his power as he hammers the full delivery from pacer over the covers for a six.

Deshpande goes for the yorker but it is too wide as he concedes another extra.

A single from the last ball makes it 14 runs from the over.

20:34

Buttler out for 36; Royals 2 down

Titans 100-2 (11 ovs) vs Royals | Scorecard

Archer, who bowled a fiery first spell of 1/14 in two overs, is back into the attack to bowl the 11th over.

Sudharsan survives first ball as he drives the pacer straight to mid-off and risks a quick single. Sandeep is quick to get to the ball and throws the ball quickly, missing the stumps by a close margin.

Shahrukh Khan gets the leading edge as the ball flies over the off-side for two runs to get off the mark before he is beaten all ends up by the slower ball.

The next ball is a quick bouncer which bounces quite steeply as Shahrukh is late into the pull shot, as he gets a bye with the keeper getting a glove on it.

Sudharsan is beaten attempting to play the ramp shot before he pulls the last ball for two runs.

Just six runs from the over as Royals bring up their 100, in the 11th over.

20:28

Buttler out for 36; Royals 2 down

Titans 94-2 (10 ovs) vs Royals | Scorecard

Deshpande, who went for 18 runs in his first over, is back into the attack. The first ball is a slower bouncer as Sudharsan pulls it for one and Buttler gets the next in the gap at midwicket for two runs.

He takes one followed by a wide as Deshpande misses his line with the slower bouncer.

Singles off the next two before Deshpande beats Sudharsan with a cracking yorker, which is a touch wide of the stumps.

Theekshana continues as Sudharsan slog sweeps the third ball over midwicket for a boundary. He taps the next ball in the gap at midwicket for a single to bring up his fifty from 32 balls -- his third of the season in five matches.

Buttler survives a confident shout for leg before wicket after he misses the pull shot. Both the bowler and wicketkeeper Samson are quite confident before the latter takes the review.

The impact is in line and the ball is hitting the leg stump as Royals manage to overturn the on-field umpire's decision.

Royals are jubilant as Buttler makes his way back after scoring 36 from 25 balls.

Despite the wicket, Royals well-placed on 94/2 in 10 overs with Sudharsan stroking 50 from 32 balls.

20:18

Sudharsan, Buttler boost Titans

Sai Sudharsan

Titans 81-1 (8 ovs) vs Royals | Scorecard

Farooqi, who bowled two good overs in the Powerplay, comes back into the attack as he replaces Deshpande.

He makes a tidy start, conceding three singles from the first four balls. Butter ends the over in cracking fashion, scooping the fifth delivery, a slower ball, fine on the leg side for a four.

The last ball is a slower bouncer as Buttler pulls it powerfully and Deshpande fails to stop the ball at deep square leg to concede another boundary.

Spinner Maheesh Theekshana comes into the attack, to bowl the eighth over.

He starts with a wide down the leg side to Sudharsan before conceding singles off the next three.

Buttler rocks back to punch the short wide delivery through the covers for a boundary and drives the next through the off-side for two more runs.

The last ball is hammered back over the bowler's head for the second four of the over.

Titans motoring along quite well, to race to 81/1 in eight overs.

Buttler has smashed 31 from 19 balls, hitting 20 from his last eight balls, while Sudharsan has stroked 43 from 26 balls. The duo have put on 67 from 35 balls for the second wicket.

20:08

Sudharsan rallies GT after early wicket

Titans 56-1 (6 ovs) vs Royals | Scorecard

Sandeep Sharma into the attack from the other end. Buttler defends the first ball before he misses the pull shot off the next ball which sails high and is ruled a wide.

He nudges the next ball off his pads for one and Sudharsan also manages just a run off the third ball.

Buttler collects another single before Sudharsan clips the ball in the gap at square leg for two runs.

Titans recover to 56/1 in six overs in the Powerplay with Sudharsan on 39 from 22 balls and Buttler on 11.

20:00

Archer strikes; Gill out for 2

Jofra Archer celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of Shubman Gill.

Titans 49-1 (5 ovs) vs Royals | Scorecard

Farooqi continues as Buttler is beaten, chasing a wide delivery way away from his body and gets a single off the next.

Sudharsan uses his feet as the pacer shortens his length but the GT left-hander does well to ramp the short ball over the thirdman for a six.

He clips the next off his pads for two runs and Buttler keeps out the last ball.

Samson deciding against using Archer for the third over in the Powerplay despite his fiery start.

After taking 1/14 in two overs, he makes way for pacer Tushar Deshpande, who starts with a wide.

Sudharsan then walks across his stumps and scoops the pacer for a six over fine leg followed by a wide.

The left-hander then pushes the third ball straight down the ground with some exquisite timing for a four.

Singles off the next two before Sudharsan cuts the last ball for a four as Deshpande goes for 18 in his first over.

Sudharsan has stroked 35 from 19 balls with Titans racing to 49/1 in five overs.

19:50

Archer strikes; Gill out for 2

Titans 21-1 (3 ovs) vs Royals | Scorecard

Archer strikes the early blow for Royals. He produces a peach to get the key wicket of GT captain Gill, who is beaten all ends up by the full inswinging delivery clocked at 147kph, to be bowled for 2.

The ball swung in sharply as Gill looked to drive it through the covers, going past the inside edge to crash into the stumps.

Archer on the charge! He greets his England teammate with a sharp bouncer as the right-hander does well to get his head out of the way.

The next ball is full as Buttler looks to defend gets the inside edge as it flies past short leg for a couple of runs.

Buttler stamps his authority as he drills the next ball through the covers for a boundary to release the pressure.

He picks a single off the next before Sudharsan defends the last ball into the leg side.

19:44

Royals elect to bowl vs Gujarat Titans

Titans 14-0 (2 ovs) vs Royals | Scorecard

Shubman Gill and B Sai Sudharsan are the two openers for Gujarat Titans, while Jofra Archer will open the bowling for Royals.

He starts with a beauty, the length ball angled across at 138kmph, to beat left-hander Sudharsan on the outside edge.

Sudharsan plays and misses again next ball as he looks to slash the back of length ball over point.

He taps the third ball into the off-side close to the pitch for a single to get off the mark.

A sharp bouncer from Archer as Gill avoids it but it is down the leg side for a wide before he clips the next off his pads for a single for his first run.

Sudharsan misses the flick and is struck on the pads but the leg before shout is turned down, and no review from RR.

Another sharp bouncer from Archer as Sudharsan top edges the pull shot which goes over the wicketkeeper for a four. That was too quick for the left-hander as he was late into the shot.

Left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi from the other end. Gill inside edges the first ball for a single on the leg side followed by two dots in a row to Sudharsan.

The young left-hander finally breaks free as he slashes a short wide ball from the pacer past point for a four.

He guides the next past the fielder at point for two runs before he is beaten last ball as Farooqi gets the ball to swing away past the edge.

19:17

Royals elect to bowl vs Gujarat Titans

Gujarat Titans' Jos Buttler will be up against Rajasthan Royals for the first time after spending seven seasons at the club. Titans have just three overseas players in their line-up with all Indians listed as Impact Subs.

Interestingly, Washington Sundar has been named as the Impact Sub despite his match-winning knock in the previous match. He might replace one of the top order batters in the latter half of the innings.

Royals have four overseas players in their playing XI, with Jofra Archer leading the charge with the ball. They have been dealt a blow as Hasaranga is unavailable with pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi coming back into the team

Check out the playing XIs:

Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill (captain), Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler (w/k), Sherfane Rutherford, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, R Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Ishant Sharma.

Impact Subs: Washington Sundar, Nishant Sindhu, Anuj Rawat, Mahipal Lomror, Arshad Khan.

Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (captain, w/k), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Sandeep Sharma, Tushar Deshpande.

Impact Subs: Kunal Singh Rathore, Shubham Dubey, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Kumar Kartikeya, Akash Madhwal.

19:07

Royals' spinner Hasaranga misses out

Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson has won the toss and elected to bowl against Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2025 match on Wednesday.

'There is going to be some dew,' says Sanju on his decision to bowl first.

'It looks like a good wicket, it is going to be a high scoring match.'

Spinner Wanindu Hasaranga misses out because of personal reasons and is replaced by Fazalhaq Farooqi, confirms Sanju.

Meanwhile, Gujarat Titans have fielded the same playing XI.

19:01

Rashid's form a worry for GT

Gujarat Titans

Welcome to the coverage of the 23rd match of IPL 2025 between Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.

Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals will hope their stretched bowling units rediscover form on a batting-friendly Ahmedabad pitch in a crucial clash that could shape their league campaign.

Titans, second in the table with three wins from four matches, can go top with a fourth straight victory. On the other hand RR, with two wins in four, need a result to break free from the mid-table congestion.

GT have built strong momentum with three wins on the trot, while RR have bounced back from a shaky start with back-to-back victories.

Gujarat's bowling hopes will once again rely on pacer Mohammed Siraj and spinner R Sai Kishore. However, the form of ace spinner Rashid Khan and experienced quick Ishant Sharma remains a worry.

Rashid, one of the most accomplished spinners in T20 cricket, has taken just a wicket from four matches while giving away in excess of 10 runs an over -- for his worst ever start in the IPL.

Ishant is a co-sailor in that ship of turmoil, bagging just a solitary wicket in three matches while leaking 12 runs an over.

Royals' line-up boasts of some explosive batters in Sanju Samson, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag and Nitish Rana, all with a strike-rate well over 150.

The lone missing link is Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has scored 101 runs from four matches at a strike rate of 131.16, with 67 of them coming in the previous game against Punjab Kings.

In the bowling department, RR has a deeper issue as except pacer Sandeep Sharma none of the other bowlers have been able to stem the run flow.

However, Jofra Archer's effort against Punjab Kings (4-0-25-3) will offer them a semblance of consolation going into a potentially high-scoring game.

The Ahmedabad stadium has produced scores 243, 232, 196 and 160 in the last four completed innings.

18:59

'A super batting surface in Ahmedabad'

Rajasthan Royals

Pitch Report:

Pommie Mbangwa and Simon Katich in their pitch report state that red soil surface at the Narendra Modi Stadium is going to be a super batting surface. It has always produced high scores in the last couple of seasons, the ball comes on to the bat nicely.

Win the toss, bat first and put up a big score on the board, they reckon.

'200 has been chased down, target 200 or more,' states Mbangwa.

18:45

Titans lead Royals 5-1 in head to head

Gujarat Titans will aim to continue their winning run and jump to the top spot of IPL 2025 standings with another victory against Rajasthan Royals.

Titans have a dominating record against Royals, winning five out of the six matches played.

18:15