2023 IPL Today’s Match of the Match: Who won MOTM Award in GT vs RR Match at Narendra Modi Stadium?

Indian Premier League 2023 Match 23 between Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals turned out to be a cat and mouse game at the Narendra Modi Stadium tonight. An enthralling contest worthy of being played between IPL 2022 finalists, it comprised numerous ebbs and flows before RR batter Shimron Hetmyer hit GT Impact Player Noor Ahmad for a six to seal a 178-run chase with four balls to spare.

Reduced to 55/4 in the 11th over, the visitors required 112 runs in the last eight overs. Having already got his eye in, captain Sanju Samson led from the front to register a stellar comeback on the back of a 37th T20 half-century. Coming on the back of back-to-back ducks, Samson scored 60 (32) with the help of eye-catching three fours and six sixes (three consecutive off Rashid Khan).

In addition to their half-centurions namely Hetmyer and Samson, Royals also thrived due to impact-generating cameos played by the likes of Dhruv Jurel (18) and Ravichandran Ashwin (10).

The two right-handed batters scoring 28 (13) between them at a crunch situation ensured that the target never goes out of Hetmyer’s reach. Needing 23 runs in the last two overs, it was Jurel and Ashwin who scored 16 runs off Titans pacer Mohammed Shami.

2023 IPL Today’s Match of the Match

With Samson getting out in the 15th over, most of the onus fell on Hetmyer. Been there, done that, for his team, the left-handed batter didn’t let the visitors down again on a Sunday night. Two fours and five sixes in his 26-ball 56* made Hetmyer a deserving winner of the Player of the Match award.

“I don’t have any words. Difficult to win against these guys, they beat us thrice last year but today was sort of a revenge. I practice these situations. I was actually pretty happy [with Ahmad bowling the 20th over], to be honest. He bowled well throughout so the first ball all I was thinking about was getting that double and take it from there,” Hetmyer told Star Sports Network during the post-match presentation ceremony.

Speaking of the visiting bowlers, pacer Sandeep Sharma was the pick of the lot with bowling figures of 4-0-25-2 including wickets of Shubman Gill (45) and David Miller (46). Apart from Sharma, spinners Adam Zampa and Yuzvendra Chahal and fast bowler Trent Boult picked a wicket apiece.