Captain Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharshan spelt their class to attain glorious half-centuries as Gujarat Titans accrued 198 in its Indian Premier League contest against Kolkata Knight Riders on the Eden Gardens right here on Monday (April 21, 2025).
Even as the ball stopped a bit, the right-left opening pair’s century stand set the stage for GT, requested to bat, to log a challenging total.
With Vaibhav Arora bowling good and tidy and Moeen Ali offering good assist with the brand new ball, KKR didn’t let GT openers acquire a lot floor within the Powerplay.
Gill and Sudharshan adopted a risk-free method and rotated the strike. However, they didn’t draw back from punishing the six deliveries that had slightest of width to collect 45 within the first six overs.
Interestingly, GT accelerated after the Powerplay. Gill (90, 55b, 10×4, 3×6) asserted his class within the seventh, plundering 17 runs off Moeen. The GT captain stepped out to hammer a six over mid-wicket, executed a cultured late reduce and displayed a wristy pull from outdoors the off-stump for fours in consecutive deliveries.
On his former dwelling floor, Gill, who took 12 balls to get first boundary, was a deal with to look at when in full movement. He was equally superb together with his cuts as he was together with his pulls or cross-batted punches on both facet.
Sudharshan (52, 36b, 6×4, 1×6), who had proven his vary discovering gaps spectacularly on the off-side, additionally collected runs on the onside together with an outstanding pull off Sunil Narine to the square-leg boundary and a shocking six off Harshit Rana over find-leg.
Notwithstanding the humid circumstances, the GT openers’ onerous working between the wicket pissed off the host much more. The two achieved their fifties to place up a 75-ball 114-run partnership.
For KKR, Andre Russell offered the breakthrough in his solely over as wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz caught Sudharshan.
Gill gathered 58 off 33 balls with a clean-hitting Jos Buttler (41 n.o., 23b, 8×4), who was dropped twice, earlier than being caught effectively on the onside off Vaibhav.
Even as KKR bowlers utilized some brakes, GT managed to garner 47 within the final 4 overs.
The scores:
Gujarat Titans: Sai Sudharshan c Gurbaz b Russell 52 (36b, 6×4, 1×6), Shubman Gill c Rinku b Vaibhav 90 (55b, 10×4, 3×6), Jos Buttler (not out) 41 (23b, 8×4), Rahul Tewatia c Ramandeep b Harshit 0 (2b), Shahrukh Khan (not out) 11 (5b, 1×6); Extras (nb-1, w-3): 4; Total (for for 3 wkts. in 20 overs): 198.
Fall of wickets: 1-114 (Sudharshan, 12.2), 2-172 (Gill, 17.5), 3-177 (Tewatia, 18.3).
KKR bowling: Vaibhav 4-0-44-1, Moeen 3-0-27-0, Harshit 4-0-45-1, Varun 4-0-33-0, Narine 4-0-36-0, Russell 1-0-13-1.
Published – April 21, 2025 09:33 pm IST
