IPL 2023: Shimron Hetmyer plays match-winning knock, completes 1,000 runs
Incredible knocks from Shimron Hetmyer and Sanju Samson powered Rajasthan Royals to a formidable victory against defending champions Gujarat Titans in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) season at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. Samson laid the foundation of their win, while Hetmyer added the finishing touches. RR successfully chased down 178 as Hetmyer hit the winning runs. Hetmyer also completed 1,000 IPL runs.
Hetmyer finishes off in style!
West Indies star batter Hetmyer played a majestic knock after the Royals were tottering on 55/4. Although the left-handed batter received support from Dhruv Jurel (18) and R Ashwin (10), he did the bulk of scoring. Hetmyer slammed his fourth IPL half-century, having smashed an unbeaten 56 off 26 balls (2 fours and 5 sixes). In the process, Hetmyer completed 1,000 IPL runs.
How did the match pan out?
Trent Boult dismissed Wriddhiman Saha after RR elected to field. Shubman Gill constructed GT's innings, guiding them to 42/2 in six overs. David Miller (46), Hardik Pandya (28), and Abhinav Manohar (27) paved GT's way as they scored 177/7. RR suffered a top-order collapse before Devdutt Padikkal and Samson struck. R Ashwin and Hetmyer fired at the death (179/7 in 19.2 overs).
Hetmyer completes 1,000 IPL runs
Hetmyer was bought by RR at a price of Rs. 8.5 crore in the IPL 2022 auction. He is one of the linchpins of the inaugural winners. His ability to go bonkers in the death overs deserves special attention. The left-handed batter has racked up 1,014 runs from 51 matches at an average of 36.21 in the tournament so far.
Fifth-highest strike rate in IPL
Hetmyer now has the fifth-highest strike rate (157.20) in the IPL among batters with a minimum of 500 runs. He is only behind Andre Russell (177.09), Liam Livingstone (166.86), Sunil Narine (162.32), and Nicholas Pooran (157.63) on the list.
Hetmyer strikes at over 200 in death overs
Hetmyer has a strike rate of 202.13 in the death overs in the IPL. He averages 40.57, having scored 568 runs in this phase. Hetmyer has been dismissed 14 times at the death in the tournament.
