Gujarat Titans (GT) to book their place in the Indian Premier League (IPL) playoffs with a 34-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in match number 62 of 2023 season at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Monday.
IPL 2023: Gujarat Titans vs Sunrisers Hyderabad – HIGHLIGHTS
Mohammed Shami looked ominous with the new ball as he removed the likes of Anmolpreet Singh, Abhishek Sharma and Aiden Markram as Yash Dayal, playing his first match since being pulverised by Rinku Singh, got the wicket of Rahul Tripathi.
Mohit Sharma too pitched in with the scalps of Sanvir Singh, Abdul Samad and Marco Jansen.
Heinrich Klaasen was the only star with the bat for SRH, scoring 64 runs from 44 balls, including four fours and three sixes, before being dismissed by Shami with David Miller completing the catch.
Mohit too took his fourth wicket to end Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s stay, 26-ball 27, at the crease.
Earlier, Shubman Gill’s scored his maiden IPL century as GT posted 188/9 against SRH, despite Bhuvneshwar producing figures of 5/30.
After suffering an early blow in the opening over, Shubman Gill (101 off 58) and Sai Sudharsan (47 off 36) set the foundation for a big total with their 147-run stand, which Marco Jansen broke in the 15th over and turned brought SRH back in the game.
GT’s three big hitters fell in the next three overs before Bhuvneshwar (5-30) bowled a brilliant final over where the Titans lost four wickets and managed to add just 2 runs to the total of 188/9.
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Bhuvneshwar struck on the third ball of the innings and dismissed the opener Wriddhiman Saha for a duck. The opener went for the cut shot but edged it to the second slip where Abhishek Sharma took a good catch going to his left.
After losing the first wicket early, Shubman Gill and B. Sai Sudharsan together collected 10 boundaries, taking the Power-Play score to 65 for the loss of one wicket.
The duo continued punishing SRH bowlers with their boundary hits and crossed the 100-run partnership halfway through the innings. In the process, Gill completed his fifth fifty.
The Titans batters were putting pressure on Sunrisers as Marco Jansen overstepped and conceded a no-ball, followed by a wide on the free hit. A misfield on mid-wicket from Bhuvneshwar gifted a boundary to the batter.
GT continued to motor along will Gill’s strokeplay and Sudharsan being lucky on three occasions, when could have been run out. Markram has tried seven bowlers but nothing has worked as SRH were struggling in every department.
But Sunrisers made a breakthrough in the slog overs as the Titans suffered a sudden collapse with just 41 runs coming for the loss of seven wickets.
Jansen made a breakthrough in the 15th over as he broke a 147-run stand with the wicket of Sudharsan.
Captain Hardik Pandya came and pulled it hard toward the deep square-leg region, to begin with a four, but Bhuvneshwar didn’t let him stay for long and removed him the next over.
Hardik slashed hard and cut it straight to Rahul Tripathi at the backward point region. He took a fine catch and the GT skipper departed for 8.
Natarajan, then, removed David Miller, who smashed it away but hit it flat and the ball quickly went toward long-on where Markram took a sharp catch around his face.
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The next over Rahul Tewatia stepped out and lift it over long off but the ball sliced up high toward mid-off, where Jansen came in from the deep to take a solid catch and GT lost another wicket.
Meanwhile, Gill brought up his maiden IPL century with a single in the 19th over. But, Bhuvneshwar sent him back soon after his hundred in the final over. On the next delivery, he dismissed Rashid Khan.
Rahul Tewatia stepped out again and looked to lift it over long-off but it is way too early in the shot. The ball got sliced up high toward mid-off and Marco Jansen comes in from the deep to take a solid catch.
Noor Ahmad walked out to bat, Bhuvneshwar didn’t get the hat-trick to his name but it was a team hat-trick for SRH as Noor tried to sneak a single via bye. Klaasen’s underarm throw went to Bhuvneshwar on the bounce and he hit the bullseye at the bowler’s end to catch Noor short of his ground.
On the next delivery, the seasoned pacer claimed his fifer, sending Shami back on the penultimate ball as Titans posted 188/9 in 20 overs.
(With inputs from Agencies)