IPL 2025, DC vs GT: Gill, Sudharsan steal thunder from Rahul as GT seal playoff berth with commanding win

Gujarat Titans batter Sai Sudharsan in motion in opposition to Delhi Capitals in the course of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 match on the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Could 18, 2025
| Photograph Credit score: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

It’s with a surgeon’s precision that B. Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill go about threading the gaps on the outfield. On a placid pitch on the Arun Jaitley Stadium the place batters didn’t must second-guess themselves, the in-form openers did precisely that. With Sai Sudharsan ending unbeaten on 108 and Gill smashing 93 in an unbroken stand of 205, Gujarat Titans made gentle work of a goal of 200 in opposition to Delhi Capitals within the IPL on Sunday. Titans’ 10-wicket win helped seal a playoff berth, and put Okay.L. Rahul’s century earlier within the night on the backburner. The outcome additionally meant Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings progressed to the playoffs.

Whereas Gill took a backseat early on, Sai Sudharsan teed off nearly immediately to take GT to 59 for none on the finish of the PowerPlay. The 23-year-old from Tamil Nadu acquired moving into a 20-run second over by T. Natarajan, taking full benefit of the left-arm pacer’s shorter lengths. He by no means took his foot off the pedal, finally reaching his century in fashion with a six down the bottom off Kuldeep Yadav.

Gujarat Titans batters Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan
| Photograph Credit score:
SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

Because the chase wore on, Gill additionally got here into his personal, denying the Capitals bowlers a gap that they had been desperately craving. The GT skipper was notably damaging in opposition to DC’s spin troika. He hacked Axar Patel for a few sixes in direction of deep midwicket, and when the wrist-spin mix of Kuldeep and Vipraj Nigam supplied a touch of flight, he confirmed no hesitation in happening the bottom.

For Rahul, it turned out to be a bittersweet night. Opening the batting for the second time on this yr’s IPL, the 33-year-old led the cost for the host with an unbeaten 112 off 65 balls that took his aspect to 199 for 3.

On a pleasing night the place darkish clouds stayed away, Rahul took a liking to Kagiso Rabada specifically. Within the sixth over, with the South African returning to aggressive motion after serving a doping suspension, Rahul smoked two sixes. Extra distress adopted for the tempo spearhead in his subsequent over as figures of 2-0-34-0 counsel. By the tip, although, he was left to admire the brilliance of two different openers within the opposition.