Qualifier 1 of the 15th edition of the Indian Premier League took place on Tuesday evening, where the Top-2 teams in the form of Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals locked horns to secure a place in the final. The first inning saw two run-outs as Jos Buttler and Riyan Parag fell short of their crease in the same over. One of the run-outs took place on the last ball where R Ashwin refuses to give strike to Riyan Parag.
R Ashwin refuses to give strike
Gujarat Titans have been exceptional in their debut season of the Indian Premier League. The team led by Hardik Pandya showcased their skills yet again as they thrashed Rajasthan by 7 wickets to become the first team this year to reach the final. Hardik Pandya elected to bowl first after winning the toss and Rajasthan notched up a very competitive total of 188 runs. On the last ball, however, there was a run-out where R Ashwin refuses to give a strike to Riyan Parag which left the batsman displeased.
The last over of the Rajasthan inning was bowled by Yash Dayal and it saw two run-outs. Interestingly, both the run-outs took place on invalid deliveries; one of which was a no-ball and the other one was wide. After bowling 5 legal deliveries, Dayal bowled a no-ball where Buttler scampered to get the second but fell short of the crease. This run-out was followed by another on a wide delivery where R Ashwin refuses to take a run. The decision by Ashwin was not taken in a happy manner by Riyan Parag who looked upset while going back to the pavilion.
Watch: Jos Buttler gets a life as Hardik Pandya slips over when trying to take the catch
Gujarat Titans gave another clinical performance and won the match by 7 wickets with the skipper Hardik Pandya and David Miller playing crucial knocks for their team. Miller was awarded the ‘Man of the Match’ award for his unbeaten 68 runs while Pandya remained not out on 40 runs off just 27 deliveries. The Eliminator will be played on 25th May where Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore will tussle to be a part of the Qualifier 2.
