A decisive 10-wicket victory propelled the Gujarat Titans into the Playoffs of IPL 2025, thereby also securing the advancement of both the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and the Punjab Kings to the subsequent stage. Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill concluded their remarkable season as a batting duo with a resounding unbeaten opening partnership of 205 runs, effortlessly achieving the target of 199. Their formidable collaboration eclipsed a commendable 112 from KL Rahul, which ultimately proved to be in vain.
Delhi Capitals derails a decent inning
All the runs that Delhi Capitals secured during the PowerPlay were attributed to KL Rahul, who returned to the role of opening the innings. He contributed 36 out of the 45 runs scored by DC in this phase. For a significant portion of this period, the bowlers from Gujarat Titans were in control, allowing only 28 runs in the first five overs. During this time, Arshad Khan also dismissed Faf du Plessis, having him caught at mid-on. Rahul began his innings with a couple of boundaries off Mohammad Siraj in the fifth over. However, he truly found his rhythm in the sixth over bowled by Kagiso Rabada, striking the pacer for two sixes and a four in a 17-run over. This helped mitigate an otherwise sluggish start for DC, although it was not sufficient to enable them to gain a decisive advantage. Nonetheless, it represented a crucial surge for the home team.
A partnership of ninety runs for the second wicket was perfectly in line with DC’s objectives after losing an early wicket and experiencing a slow start. Throughout the middle overs, Rahul and Ishan Porel successfully maintained the momentum with sporadic big overs that compensated for some tighter overs in between. When Prasidh Krishna and Rashid Khan bowled consecutive overs without conceding a boundary, both batters managed to counterattack shortly thereafter to break the pressure. Rahul reached his fourth fifty of the season off 35 balls and continued to be the driving force behind the innings. The promising partnership concluded when R Sai Kishore had Porel caught behind shortly after he had hit a six. However, that pressure was quickly alleviated when Rahul struck three consecutive boundaries off the spinner in his next over. Axar Patel also contributed with valuable boundaries as Rahul surged into the eighties, and at 136/2 after 15 overs, the innings was well positioned for a strong finish.
There was a moment when Rahul found himself stuck in the eighties, not receiving much strike during the closing overs. Axar managed to hit a couple of boundaries off Sai Kishore before he was dismissed by a short ball from Prasidh Krishna. However, as soon as Rahul regained the strike, he accelerated into the nineties and achieved his fifth IPL century with two sixes off Prasidh. The innings was a masterclass in manoeuvring the innings on a pitch that had something in it for the bowlers. Rahul’s class stood out particularly in two sixes he hit straight down the ground off the pacers – Rabada and Prasidh. With Tristan Stubbs too chipping in, DC managed to get 30 in the last two overs to finish with 199.
Gujarat Titans chase the target in style
The break appeared to have had no effect on the rhythm of Gujarat Titans’ top-order. Sudharsan resumed from where he had left off, initiating the chase with an energetic start. He struck Axar Patel for a boundary off only the second ball he faced, then greeted T Natarajan with a six and three boundaries, accumulating 20 runs in that over. Axar was also hit for two boundaries in the subsequent over as GT surged to 43 runs in the first three overs. During this phase, Gill was relegated to a supporting role as GT amassed 59 runs, with Sudharsan contributing 44 of those runs.
The pair established a 100-plus partnership for the seventh time in IPL history, ranking just behind the combinations of Virat Kohli-AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli-Chris Gayle on the all-time list. Their seemingly effortless performance did not bode well for DC’s bowling attack, which was hampered by the absence of Mitchell Starc. Although the middle overs saw a relative decline in the scoring rate compared to the initial three, it remained sufficient to keep GT firmly on track. Sudharsan survived a couple of LBW reviews against Vipraj Nigam and Kuldeep Yadav, reaching his fifty in just 30 balls. Gill then joined the action, hitting a six off each of the spinners to maintain the run-rate. The duo went on to set a new IPL record for the most runs in a season by an Indian pair, surpassing 750 runs. Gill reached his fifty with a powerful shot down the ground off Dushmantha Chameera. The 13th over yielded 19 runs as the pair once again elevated their performance.
With the partnership seemingly secure, the only remaining subplot was to determine which of the openers would reach a hundred first. Gill had caught up to Sudharsan’s early lead with a series of elegant sixes, seven of which propelled him into the eighties. However, Sudharsan triumphed in that race, lofting Kuldeep Yadav down the ground from 94 to secure his second IPL century. The duo ultimately guided the Titans to victory with an over to spare, propelling them to the top of the points table for the time being.
SCORECARD: Delhi Capitals 199/3 (KL Rahul 112*) lost to Gujarat Titans 205/0 (Sai Sudharsan 108*, Shubman Gill 93*) by 10 wickets
