Ahmedabad, May 2 (UNI) Gujarat Titans posted a formidable 224 for six against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their IPL 2025 clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Friday, with captain Shubman Gill (76 off 38) and Jos Buttler (64 off 37) leading the charge before a late three-wicket burst from Jaydev Unadkat tempered the final flourish.
Put in to bat by SRH skipper Pat Cummins, GT came out all guns blazing, with Gill and Sai Sudharsan (48 off 23) racing to 87 for 1 by the seventh over. Sudharsan fell just shy of a sixth fifty this season, edging a wide googly from Zeeshan Ansari to the keeper. Gill, in imperious form, brought up his fifty off 30 balls – his third in a row and 25th in IPL – and added 62 for the second wicket with Buttler.
Buttler, who registered another fluent half-century off 31 balls, showcased his full range – reverse sweeps, scoops and fierce drives – smacking four sixes and three boundaries before holing out to long-on off Cummins in the 19th over. His dismissal triggered a mini-collapse that saw GT lose four wickets in eight deliveries.
Washington Sundar, promoted up the order, struck a six but struggled for rhythm before falling for 21 (16), mistiming a low full toss from Jaydev Unadkat to deep midwicket.
Rahul Tewatia briefly lit up the death overs with a lap six off his first ball, but perished next delivery, slicing a wide one to backward point. Rashid Khan was the final scalp in the 20th, top-edging a short ball back to Unadkat, who completed a smart return catch to claim figures of 4-0-35-3.
Earlier, Gill’s onslaught included 10 fours and two sixes, with his timing and placement standing out. He toyed with the field, pulling, whipping and lofting with elegance, while Buttler took over in the middle overs, launching a back-foot punch off Zeeshan Ansari for a memorable six over long-on.
GT raced past the 50-mark in the fourth over and touched 100 in the 10th. The innings featured partnerships of 87 (Gill-Sudharsan), 62 (Gill-Buttler) and 57 (Buttler-Sundar) that laid the foundation for the 220-plus score. However, Gujarat may rue not crossing 230 after losing five wickets for 18 runs in the final 11 balls.
Among the bowlers, Unadkat’s triple strike at the death was the standout, while Zeeshan Ansari (4-0-42-1) impressed with his variations. Pat Cummins (4-0-40-1) and Harshal Patel (3-0-41-0) had expensive outings, with the former accounting for the key wicket of Buttler.
SRH will need 225 to win under lights in Ahmedabad.
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