April 16, Sunday, was a doubleheader day in the sixteenth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The action began with Mumbai Indians registering their 23rd win over Kolkata Knight Riders as they extended their domination of the east Indian side. MI defeated KKR in a dominant home performance that saw them come out victorious by 5 wickets. The second game was a repeat of last season's final between Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The visitors won the toss and elected to bowl first. Gujarat Titans lost their opener Wriddhiman Saha cheaply but recovered well through Shubman Gill and Sai Sudarshan. However, the passage of regular wickets continued for the home side. A final flourish by David Miller, scoring 46 off 30, pushed the team total to a competitive 177/7 in their twenty overs.
Sanju Samson and Shimron Hetmyer remained the star for RR
For RR, Sandeep Sharma remained the pick of the bowlers returning with two wickets from his four overs while conceding just 25 runs. Trent Boult, Adam Zampa and Yuzvendra Chahal returned with one wicket apiece from the match.
Rajasthan Royals' response had a terrible start, as they cheaply lost both openers. The innings was stabilised by captain Sanju Samson (60 off 32) and key player Devdutt Padikkal (26 off 25). Shimron Hetmyer's (56 off 26) heroics ultimately helped Royals cross the finish line and secure a 3-wicket victory. Mohammad Shami continued to be the best bowler for GT, taking three wickets in four overs while giving up 25 runs. Noor Ahmad, an important player, and Hardik Pandya claimed one victim as Rashid Khan returned with two wickets.
Next, in the sixteenth edition of the Indian Premier League, the Royal Challengers Bangalore will be hosting the Chennai Super Kings in the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru for the infamous Southern Derby. While RCB will be riding high after a dominant home performance against the Delhi Capitals, CSK are coming off a disappointing three-run loss to Rajasthan Royals at home in the MA Chidambaram.
Here's how fans reacted:
— Ritvik (@kohli_fanatic) April 16, 2023
All thanks to Hetmyer
— Freak (@soul_freak80) April 16, 2023
Ash anna's cameo of 10 off 3 balls was the real game changer 😂🔥
— Khush Thakkar (@Khush_Thakkar12) April 16, 2023
GT bowlers defending a trying to defend a total pic.twitter.com/ue3sVCcbaZ
— . (@godofthunder_t) April 16, 2023
Le Shimron Hetmyer pic.twitter.com/Us1mO8r7tp
— Ayush (@_Ayush_07) April 16, 2023
Ashwin and Rinku bodied this luck merchant team
— 𝔖𝕴𝔎𝔄𝔑𝔇𝔄𝕽 ⚔️ (@SIK__AND__AR) April 16, 2023
IPL script-writers writing the script of RR matches: #GTvRRpic.twitter.com/BzXsS681Zz
— Ana de Armas stan (@abhithecomic) April 16, 2023
Halla Bol ❤️❤️
— Jayant Calla (@JayantCalla4) April 16, 2023