IPL 2025: GT's Sudharsan, Buttler shine in losing cause
What's the story
In a thrilling 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Punjab Kings edged past Gujarat Titans by 11 runs.
The visitors successfully defended 243/5, now their highest first-innings total in IPL history. Substantial knocks from Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler, and Sherfane Rutherford went in vain.
Sudharsan gave the Titans a formidable start, while Buttler's stunning return to form was a highlight in the middle overs.
Match summary
Punjab's total proves challenging for Titans
Punjab Kings posted a daunting target of 243/5 in 20 overs, which proved too much for the Titans.
Arshdeep Singh's impressive bowling, with figures of 2/36, proved crucial in thwarting the Titans's chase.
Despite solid contributions from Shubman Gill, Sudharsan, Rutherford, and Buttler, they fell short by 11 runs.
Rutherford's bid to accelerate was stopped by yorkers from Vijaykumar Vyshak, the Impact Player of PBKS.
Sudharsan
Sudharsan steps up with impactful knock
Sudharsan was the star of GT's run-chase, albeit in a losing cause.
He played second fiddle in his 61-run stand with Gill before breaking the shackles.
Sudharsan launched his counter-attack along with Buttler in the middle overs. In an attempt to go all out, he was outfoxed by Arshdeep in the 13th over.
Sudharsan slammed a 41-ball 74 (5 fours and 6 sixes).
Buttler
Buttler kept GT in the hunt
Buttler chipped in with an 84-run stand with Sudharsan. The duo took the Titans past 140 in less than 13 overs.
The former was later joined by Rutherford, who played too many dot balls despite a positive start.
As a result, the dangerous Buttler was knocked over by Marco Jansen. He scored a 33-ball 54 (4 fours and 2 sixes).
Stats
Buttler's return to form; Sudharsan gets past 1,100 runs
Buttler, who was Rajasthan Royals's mainstay batter, made his debut for GT. He slammed his first half-century since relinquishing England's white-ball captaincy.
Buttler now has 3,636 runs from 108 IPL encounters at 38.27. This was his 20th fifty in the tournament.
On the other hand, Sudharsan raced past 1,100 runs in the IPL. He already has seven half-centuries and a ton in his 26-match IPL career. Sudharsan now has 1,108 runs at a strike-rate of 141.32.