• Miller in the runs but Hetmyer steals the show

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    David Miller’s contribution wasn’t enough for the Gujarat Titans, who suffered a three-wicket loss to the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL on Sunday.

    The Proteas batsman scored 46 off 30 balls (three fours, two sixes) as Gujarat posted 177-7 in Ahmedabad.

    But Rajasthan clinched victory with four deliveries to spare thanks to captain Sanju Samson’s 60 off 32 deliveries and Shimron Hetmyer’s unbeaten 56 off 26.

    The Royals were 4-2 and then 55-4 when Samson and Hetmyer put together 59 off 27 balls to bring alive the chase at the world’s biggest cricket ground.

    Samson took on leg-spinner Rashid Khan in an over and smashed a hat-trick of sixes and then took on another Afghanistan spinner before departing.

    Noor Ahmad, a left-arm wrist spinner, came in as impact player for Gujarat and after getting smashed for a six and four got Samson caught.

    But the dismissal only fired up the left-handed Hetmyer who kept up the charge as he and Dhruv Jurel, who hit 18, got 20 runs from an Alzarri Joseph over to near the target.

    Hetmyer finished off the chase with a six off Ahmad, an IPL debutant who was given the final over by captain Hardik Pandya.

    Mohammed Shami stood out with figures of 3-25 for Gujarat, who won the title last year in their fairytale debut season in the T20 tournament.

    Earlier Shubman Gill (45) and Miller guided Gujarat to a competitive total.

    Gill started strongly despite losing partners including Wriddhiman Saha to a dramatic mid-pitch catch by Trent Boult off his own bowling after the ball bounced off Samson’s gloves following a near collision between three fielders.

    Gill put on a 59-run stand with Pandya to take the attack to the opposition.

    Sandeep Sharma denied Gill his fifty but the left-handed Miller smashed boundaries in his 30-ball knock and got help from the other end with Abhinav Manohar hitting 27 off 13 balls.

    © Agence France-Presse

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    Simon Borchardt