IPL 2023: Defending champions GT thrash SRH to reach playoffs
Defending champions Gujarat Titans qualified for the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) playoffs with a massive win over Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. The Titans successfully defended 188/9, with Mohammed Shami and Mohit Sharma sharing eight wickets. A historic century from Shubman Gill laid the foundation for GT's win. SRH seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar inflicted GT's batting collapse with a five-wicket haul.
How did the match pan out?
GT lost Wriddhiman Saha early after SRH elected to field. Gill and Sai Sudharsan then shared a 147-run stand. However, none of the other batters scored in double figures as GT faltered at the death. Bhuvneshwar's fifer meant GT were restricted to 188/9. In reply, SRH couldn't get the desired start, managing 154/9 eventually. GT won despite Heinrich Klaasen's fighting fifty.
First GT batter with an IPL ton
Gill smacked four back-to-back boundaries off Fazalhaq Farooqi in the fifth over. He raced to his century off 56 balls. Gill has become the first batter to score a century for GT in the IPL. Notably, Gill held the previous-highest individual score for the Titans in the tournament. He smashed 96 against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in IPL 2022.
Gill completes 1,000 IPL runs for GT
During the knock, Gill became the first player to complete 1,000 IPL runs for GT. His closest rival is skipper Hardik Pandya, who owns over 760 runs for the franchise. David Miller is the only other player with over 700 IPL runs for GT.
A massive record for Gill
Gill has become the first Indian to score a Test, ODI, T20I, and IPL century in the same year. He slammed 112 in the 3rd ODI against New Zealand in January. A few days later, Gill smashed an unbeaten 126 in the Ahmedabad T20I against the Kiwis. In March, he slammed 128 in the Border-Gavaskar series at the same venue.
A look at other notable numbers
As per Kausthub Gudipati, Gill has become the first player to score a century in IPL innings where all players batted. He is also the first player to score a century in the same T20 innings that had at least four ducks. Gill and Sudharsan shared a 147-run stand, the highest partnership for the Titans in the IPL.
A terrific display of bowling
GT were cruising on 156/2 at one stage. However, things went south, and they lost seven wickets for a handful of runs. Four of these wickets came in the last over, including a run-out. Bhuvneshwar, who bowled the final over, completed a five-wicket haul. He conceded just 30 runs in four overs. Notably, Bhuvneshwar scalped his second five-wicket haul in the IPL.
Bhuvi attains this feat
Bhuvneshwar has become just the third bowler in IPL history to take two five-wicket hauls. Jaydev Unadkat and James Faulkner are the only other players with this feat in the cash-rich league.
Shami completes 20 wickets in IPL 2023
Once again, Shami powered GT with a phenomenal spell in the Powerplay. The senior pacer dismissed Anmolpreet Singh, skipper Aiden Markram, and Rahul Tripathi to put the Titans on top. Shami finished with figures worth 4/20 in four overs. With this, he became the first pacer to complete 20 wickets in the ongoing IPL season, the spinners being Rashid Khan and Yuzvendra Chahal.
Shami owns 15 PP wickets in IPL 2023
Shami raced to 15 wickets in the Powerplay in the ongoing IPL season. He has bowled 35 overs in this phase and averages just 15.86. Shami has an economy rate of 6.80 in the first six overs.
Another four-fer for Mohit
Like Shami, Mohit also continued his phenomenal run and took four wickets. He conceded 28 runs in four overs. This was his third four-fer in the IPL. His best figures of 4/14 came for Chennai Super Kings in 2014 against Mumbai Indians. In IPL 2023, Mohit has claimed 17 wickets in 10 matches with an exceptional average of 13.53.
A rescuing act by Klaasen
Klaasen yet again played a rescuing knock for the Orange Army. Although SRH were reduced to 59/7, he took them past the 120-run mark. Klaasen shared a 68-run stand with Bhuvneshwar, who also held one end. The former became the first SRH batter to complete 300 runs in the ongoing season. Klaasen, who smashed 64(44), completed his second fifty of IPL 2023.
