Asked to bat first, Gujarat Titans stuck to their tried-and-tested approach in the powerplay. Openers Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill relied on elegant timing rather than brute force to dismantle the new-ball attack of Shardul Thakur and Akash Deep, collecting boundaries with ease while playing risk-free cricket.
The onslaught continued as Digvesh Rathi and Avesh Khan came into the attack, with Gujarat cruising to 54/0 by the end of the powerplay.
However, the real statement came post-powerplay, as both batters refused to slow down. They took Ravi Bishnoi for 12 runs in the seventh over and then hammered Aiden Markram for 15, making it clear that five outfielders weren’t going to stop their momentum.
Gill and Sudharsan soon raised their fifties off 31 and 32 balls respectively, bringing up the first century opening stand of IPL 2025.
It took a moment of brilliance from Aiden Markram to break the stand in the 13th over, plucking a sharp catch to dismiss Gill. And as the saying goes, one wicket brings another—or in Gujarat’s case, four.
Bishnoi struck again immediately, removing both Sudharsan and Washington Sundar in the same over, while Digvesh Rathi chipped in with the wicket of Jos Buttler. What was once 120/0 in 12 overs became 147/4 by the end of the 17th.
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Sherfane Rutherford, after a sluggish start, provided some late fireworks with three boundaries, and Shahrukh Khan added a crucial six. Still, Gujarat’s innings fizzled out, adding just 60 runs in the final eight overs and finishing shy of 180.