Gujarat Titans, placed at number 10 in the IPL Points Table, clawed their way back from the brink of elimination with a jaw-dropping display of batting prowess by captain Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan in Tata IPL match 59 against Chennai Super Kings on Friday.
Winning the season’s second toss, CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad chose to bowl first. GT, which have seen the worst powerplay runrate in this season, saw their openers tearing into CSK right from the outset, mercilessly pummeling the visitors. Despite CSK’s desperate attempts with a depleted bowling attack, luck refused to favor them against the record-breaking first-wicket partnership.
Gill’s thunderous century in just 55 balls was matched by Sudarshan’s maiden IPL century, in 51 delievries, as they collectively smashed 13 sixes and 14 boundaries. By the time Tushar Deshpande managed to break the partnership in the 18th over, GT had already surpassed the 200-run mark. David Miller’s crafty shots further cemented GT’s dominance, resulting in a staggering total of 231/3 in 20 overs.
In response, the defending champions hit the roadblock, losing their openers within the first two overs, leaving the scorecard in tatters at 2/2. Despite CKS’ efforts, their momentum never truly materialised. Only the fourth-wicket partnership between Daryl Mitchell and Moeen Ali provided a glimmer of hope. With this loss, CSK are in deep trouble in terms of their playoff chances. Not only they will have to win their league matches, but they will also have to ensure a huge win margin to improve the Net Run Rate. As far as GT are concerned, they are now on number 8. With some combination, they still have that long shot, but the dream stays alive.