New Delhi, May 18 (UNI) Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill powered Gujarat Titans into the playoffs in commanding fashion, scripting a record-breaking unbeaten stand in Match 60 of the IPL 2025 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here on Sunday.
Chasing a challenging target of 200, Gujarat turned the task into a stroll in the park, reaching 205 without loss in 19 overs, the highest successful ten-wicket chase in IPL history.
Sudharsan, in imperious touch, led the assault with a magnificent 108 not out off just 61 balls. His innings was a blend of timing, placement and raw power, punctuated with 12 boundaries and 4 towering sixes. The left-hander brought up his second IPL century in style with a blazing drive through extra cover that had the Gujarat dugout on its feet.
Skipper Shubman Gill played second fiddle initially but soon accelerated to match his partner, finishing unbeaten on 93 off 53 deliveries. His knock, laced with 3 fours and 7 sixes, exuded elegance and control. Gill's shot of the night was a majestic lofted drive over long-off against Kuldeep Yadav, signalling Gujarat's complete dominance.
Together, the duo stitched an unbroken 205-run stand, the highest opening partnership of the season and among the top three in IPL history. Delhi bowlers were left clueless and wicketless, with none able to break through despite trying all six frontline options.
Vipraj Nigam and Kuldeep Yadav bore the brunt of the assault, returning identical figures of 4-0-37-0. Axar Patel (3-0-35-0), Mustafizur Rahman (3-0-24-0) and T Natarajan (3-0-49-0) also struggled as GT raced away with 91 runs in the final seven overs to seal the result with an over to spare.
Earlier in the evening, Delhi Capitals had posted what looked like a winning total of 199 for 3 after being put in to bat. The innings was anchored by a majestic unbeaten 112 from KL Rahul, who was at his silken best throughout his 65-ball stay, peppering the field with 14 fours and 4 sixes.
The DC skipper arrived at the crease early after Faf du Plessis fell for 5 in the fourth over, miscuing an on-drive off Arshad Khan. Rahul took charge immediately, blending classical strokeplay with innovation. He reached his half-century with a lofted sweep off Rashid Khan and upped the ante in the death overs with two straight sixes off Kagiso Rabada.
Abishek Porel, promoted up the order, added 45 runs for the second wicket with Rahul. His 30 off 19 balls featured two sixes — a pull off Rabada and a slog sweep off Sai Kishore. But the latter had his revenge, getting him caught behind with a sharp turning delivery.
Axar Patel chipped in with a 16-ball 25, including a six and two fours, before falling to Prasidh Krishna. Tristan Stubbs then finished the innings with fireworks, smashing 21\\\\\\\\* off just 10 balls, including a baseball-style six in the final over that briefly lifted DC’s spirits.
Among the bowlers, Sai Kishore (4-0-47-1), Krishna (4-0-40-1) and Arshad Khan (2-0-7-1) picked up a wicket apiece. However, Mohammed Siraj and Rashid Khan went wicketless despite bowling with control in patches.
Delhi’s powerplay yielded 45 runs for the loss of one wicket, before a middle-overs rebuild and a strong finish lifted them to what was then considered a par score. But Gujarat’s openers made sure that even Rahul’s century would be forgotten by the end of the night.
With this win, Gujarat stormed into the playoffs, while Delhi Capitals were left to rue their bowling meltdown in a high-stakes encounter.
Brief Scores:
Delhi Capitals: 199/3 in 20 overs (KL Rahul 112*, Abishek Porel 30; Sai Kishore 1/47); Gujarat Titans: 205/0 in 19 overs (Sai Sudharsan 108*, Shubman Gill 93*)
Result: Gujarat Titans won by 10 wickets.
UNI BDN RN