Gujarat Titans climbed to the top of the IPL 2025 table with their fourth win on Wednesday, thrashing Rajasthan Royals by 58 runs after skittling them out in the 19th over while chasing 218.
Shimron Hetmyer and skipper Sanju Samson added 48 for the fifth wicket to briefly steady the ship.
But Rajasthan's hopes were dented further when Samson fell to Prasidh Krishna for 41 to leave them at 116/5.
Hetmyer struck a few lusty blows, reaching his fifty in 29 balls, but he was merely delaying the inevitable.
The West Indian fell soon after, becoming Prasidh Krishna's third victim. All six bowlers used by Gujarat were among the wickets.
Earlier, Rajasthan Royals lost four wickets inside the first eight overs.
Yashasvi Jaiswal was the first to be dismissed, falling to Arshad Khan for six in the second over. Mohammed Siraj then sent back Nitish Rana for 1 to leave Gujarat at 12/2.
Samson and Riyan Parag then rebuilt the innings with a 48-run stand.
But left arm pacer Kulwant Khejroliya ended the partnership by having Parag caught behind by Jos Buttler for 26.
Dhruv Jurel did not stay long, falling for five to Rashid Khan as Rajasthan slumped to 68/4.
In the first half of the match, a late flurry helped Gujarat Titans surge to 217/6 against Rajasthan Royals in their IPL match on Wednesday.
Rahul Tewatia remained unbeaten on 24 off 12 balls as the last over by Sandeep Sharma went for 16
Earlier, Maheesh Theekshana broke a threatening stand between Sai Sudharsan and Shahrukh Khan.
After they added 62 in just 34 balls, Theekshana had Shahrukh stumped by skipper Sanju Samson. He had made a breezy 36 off 20 balls.
Sherfane Rutherford struck a six off his first ball but then fell two balls later for seven in the next over by Sandeep Sharma.
Sai Sudharsan top-scored with 82 off 53 balls before getting an inside edge to the keeper off Tushar Deshpande in the penultimate over.
Earlier, despite the early loss of Shubman Gill—cleaned up by a beauty from Jofra Archer in the third over—Sai Sudharsan looked in sublime touch, reaching his fifty off 32 balls.
He counterattacked with authority, showcasing his range with inventive shots, including a cheeky scoop for six over fine leg and a couple of crisp boundaries down the ground and through point.
Archer provided the early breakthrough with a peach that beat Gill’s defense, but Sudharsan kept the scoreboard ticking. Tushar Deshpande bore the brunt of the left-hander’s onslaught, leaking 18 in a single over as GT surged past 50.
Sandeep Sharma bowled a tidy final over in the PowerPlay, giving Royals a much-needed breather and keeping the batters from freeing their arms.
Sri Lankan Maheesh Theekshana then struck a vital blow, removing Jos Buttler for 36 off 25 balls just when he was looking set, leaving Rajasthan at 94/2 after 10 overs.
Earlier, Rajasthan led by Sanju Samson won the toss and opted to bowl.
Wanindu Hasaranga misses out due to personal reasons, and Fazalhaq Farooqi comes in as his replacement in Rajasthan Royals' playing XI.
The Titans currently have six points, and a victory would keep them near the top of the points table. Meanwhile, the Royals, with four points, need a win to escape the mid-table scramble. The Gujarat Titans have won three consecutive matches, while the Rajasthan Royals have secured two back-to-back wins, putting them in their current positions on the points table. However, both teams' recent success has been somewhat masked by disappointing bowling performances.
Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson(w/c), Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Sandeep Sharma, Tushar Deshpande
Gujarat Titans (Playing XI): Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill(c), Jos Buttler(w), Sherfane Rutherford, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Ishant Sharma
Impact subs
Gujarat Titans: Washington Sundar, Nishant Sindhu, Anuj Rawat, Mahipal Lomror, Arshad Khan
Rajasthan Royals: Kunal Singh Rathore, Shubham Dubey, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Kumar Kartikeya, Akash Madhwa