Thrilling IPL match sees Maharaj make his debut

Keshav Maharaj, a Proteas spinner, made his IPL debut for the Rajasthan Royals in a last-ball, three-wicket defeat to the Gujarat Titans on Wednesday.

Maharaj was used as an impact substitute and bowled just two overs, conceding 16 runs.

The Royals' four-match winning streak came to an end, while Rajasthan still holds their table-topping position above the Kolkata Knight Riders. The Titans clawed their way back to a dramatic victory in the final five overs, needing 73 off the final 30 balls.

The responsibility to win the match on the final ball fell on the shoulders of Afghanistan's bowling all-rounder, Rashid Khan. He thumped the ball to the boundary for four, leading his team to victory with a score of 199-7.

Rajasthan appeared confident as they went into the game, having been invited to bat first at their home ground in Jaipur.

Despite initial setbacks, with Yashasvi Jaiswal caught on 24, and England's Jos Buttler dismissed for eight, 22-year-old Riyan Parag helped build a formidable total.

He was celebrating his third fifty in five innings, this time in a knock that came off 34 balls.

Parag fell for 74 to Vijay Shankar's juggling catch.

Samson made 68 runs and Hetmyer was unbeaten on 13 as they guided Rajasthan to 196-3, keeping their hopes of a fifth straight victory alive.

When Gujarat came in to bat, the Royals seemed to have taken charge. Speedster Kuldeep Sen ripped through the Titans' top order, posting figures of 3-41.

Before bowling Matthew Wade and Abhinav Manohar cheaply, Sen trapped Sai Sudharsan lbw for 35.

Captain Shubman Gill scored 72 runs to increase Gujarat's total before being stumped. Rahul Tewatia contributed 22 runs before being run out.

But it was Rashid who steered the Titans to victory. He scored 24 runs in the closing overs.