Riyan Parag and Sanju Samson once again stepped up to score aggressive fifties and guided Rajasthan Royals to 196 for three against Gujarat Titans on Wednesday.
At 43 for two in the powerplay, Titans had it all under control before skipper Samson (68 not out off 38) and Parag (76 off 48) combined to snatch the momentum from the visitors. Royals smashed as many as 123 runs in the last 10 overs.
Riyan Parag, who has taken his game to the next level and is thriving in his new batting position of number 4, was at his disdainful best on way to his third half-century in five innings. He shared a 130-run stand off 78 balls with Samson, who has also been in sublime touch since the start of the tournament.
Matthew Wade dropping Parag on 0 and 6 off star spinner Rashid Khan also cost Titans dearly as the in-form batter found the big hits at will afterwards.
The 22-year-old hammered five sixes with three of them coming against left-arm spinner Noor Ahmed via the sweep shot.
Parag brought up his fifty with a flat six over long-on off pacer Mohit Sharma.
Samson, on the other hand, started with back-to-back fours off Umesh Yadav before taking a backseat to watch Parag go about his business.
Besides catching, GT's ground fielding was equally poor.
Samson reached his third half-century with a straight boundary off a Mohit full toss that should have been caught by Rahul Tewatia at long-on.
Frustrated at the turn of events, Titans captain Shubman Gill could not hold back his emotions over a wide call that eventually stayed wide.
In the penultimate over, Parag pulled a bouncer off Mohit over mid-wicket for another maximum.
Early on in the Royals innings, Yashasvi Jaiswal (24 off 19) played some exquisite strokes on the off-side before falling to a pre-meditated scoop off Umesh.
His opening partner Jos Buttler went for an expansive drive off Rashid in the sixth over but ended up getting caught at first slip.
