GT vs RR, 23rd Match at Ahmedabad, IPL, Apr 16 2023 - Match Result

11.09 pm From being dead and buried in the Powerplay after sensational twin new-ball bursts from Shami and Hardik, to being just as dead and buried at the halfway stage. They were 66 for 4 after 12 overs needing 112 runs to win from 48 balls with a 2.01% chance of winning according to the ESPNcricinfo win probability calculation... and somehow Rajasthan get there with four balls to spare! What an extraordinary comeback by Royals. They avenge their loss in the 2022 IPL Final.

Hetmyer could have been caught at deep third man by Shami in the 16th over on 22, but a horrible misjudgment resulted in the ball landing just over the rope for six. The fielding by comparison that Rajasthan produced in the first innings made a huge difference in the end, in particular Boult's improbable return catch after Samson collided with Hetmyer, and Buttler's alert runout off the deflection by Zampa.

Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya: "That's the beauty about this game. The game is never over. That was the message to the boys as well. The game is never over until it's over. So I think this is one more less for us. [Asked why he opted to bring in Noor as the Impact Sub instead of Josh Little] He's someone who is difficult to pick as well. He actually bowled well. I don't want to be harsh on him. He got us a big breakthrough which we wanted but I think the other bowlers did not execute. It's a very long tournament. Obviously all these losses remind you at the end of the tournament reminds you if you are not on the other side but it's still a very long tournament. A lot of matches left. We still need to play a lot of good cricket even if we had won today. I felt we were short some runs at the innings break. They bowled some good overs but we should have gone harder to put the game [out of reach] and get a 200 total. When I was watching outside, I did feel we were maybe 10 runs short."

Rajasthan Royals batter Devdutt Padikkal: "It got a little tense. When these matches go down to the wire, it's always a bit tense. But I felt everyone had the belief that we had Ashwin out there who could finish it off. We knew that we had to try to keep the scoreboard ticking at some point. We couldn't just try to take it deep. We had to get boundaries from time to time. It was moving around quite a bit the first 3-4 overs so we had to be circumspect but at the same time when the ball was in our areas, we had to go for it. Thankfully we connected with a few which was really important in the end. [On Hetmyer] It's unbelievable how consistent he is doing what he does toward the end of the innings. Every game he comes in and gives us what we need at the end. So we are really grateful to have such a talented asset and hopefully he can continue to win us games. He's always the one leading the celebrations so it's going to be the same tonight."

Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson: "When you play some quality opponents on a quality wicket in a quality stadium like this, you expect a great match. I'm very happy to be on the winning side. I think it was very important to rotate the bowlers. They were going hard at our spinners. After the timeout, they were playing some quality cricket shots and we needed to respect that but I'm very proud of our team for restricting them to a 170-odd score. With the start we had while batting, it was very important to know how good a wicket this was. With the quality of bowling they had in the Powerplay, we had to respect them. But we knew we could play some shots later on. We had a good matchup with Zampa on David Miller and almost got him but still it turned out well for us. [On Hetmyer] I don't think he likes easy situations. We don't mind putting him in these situations."

Shimron Hetmyer named Player of the Match for his 56 not out off 26 balls to seal a Royals win. "I just really wanted to win against these guys because they beat us three times last year so it was a bit of revenge really. I just practice it really. It helps to practice with that mindset that you're a couple of wicket down and you need 100 runs with eight overs left. You just try to program your mind that way and so far it's working. I was pretty happy to be honest to be facing [a spinner for the final over]. I was just focused on getting a double off the first ball and then see what happens after that."

That'll do it for ESPNcricinfo's live coverage from today's IPL doubleheader. Come back tomorrow for some more action. Until then, take care!

Hardik is tossing the ball to the Afghan debutant Noor Ahmad for the final over ahead of Mohit Sharma.

Shyam: "Amidst the debate, its worth pointing out RR's comeback. I thought no way they gonna be here after that powerplay!"

From 2.01% just after the halfway stage when they needed more than 12 runs per over, Rajasthan's ESPNcricinfo win probability is now 95.42%.

In spite of the wicket, Rajasthan's ESPNcricinfo win probability is now at 78.64% having been at 2.01% just after the halfway stage of the chase.

Chad: "Very confusing why GT do not bowl Tewatia. Keeping him in the side just to face a few balls in the final over is wasting his talents."

Meanwhile, Shami is back for his final over.

Anupam: "If it was a right a right decision, then there wouldn't have been such outrage. It was a stupid decision to be honest "

Shyam: "Players have different heights, so going above stump shouldnt be a factor! It has to be above waist high, when batsman is in crease in normal stance. Hetty was out of crease, hence a good decision"

Rashid returns for his final over in the 18th.

PV: "That was on horrendous not-a-no-ball verdict!.."