After facing the letdown of losing their opening game in IPL 2025, the Gujarat Titans have now won four matches consecutively. In their fifth encounter of the season against Rajasthan Royals, led by captain Shubman Gill, they dominated with an emphatic victory margin of 58 runs, making it six times that Gujarat has triumphed over Rajasthan throughout the history of the Indian Premier League. This particular match showcased outstanding performances across batting, bowling, and fielding from Gujarat; notably, Sai Sudarshan’s stellar knock and bowler Prasidh Krishna’s formidable spells were pivotal. Thanks to this success, Gujarat finds itself at the top of the league standings.
GT batsmen featuring Sudarshan Shine
In the 23rd game of the season held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the home side took complete control. Despite this, things didn’t begin well as fast bowler Jofra Archer posed challenges during the powerplay phase. Captain Shubman Gill found himself dismissed off the stump in the very third over. Nevertheless, Sai Sudarshan swiftly countered the opposition’s bowling attack from Rajasthan. Alongside Jos Buttler’s spirited knock of 36 runs off 25 deliveries, they forged an impressive stand worth 80 runs within merely 47 balls for the second wicket. As a result, Rajasthan managed to reach 100 runs mark inside just eleven overs.
Sudarshan (82 runs off 53 balls) achieved his third fifty of the season at this point but narrowly missed out on reaching three figures. The remaining batters were crucial in turning Sudarshan’s strong start into a substantial total for their side. Shahrukh Khan contributed with a quickfire 36 from 20 deliveries, Rahul Tewatia smashed 24 runs off merely 12 balls, and Rashid Khan accelerated with 12 runs off only four balls, propelling them to a formidable score of 217. All Rajasthan bowlers faced defeat save for Archer. Nonetheless, Mahish Teekshna and Tushar Deshpande each claimed two wickets apiece.
Prasidh delivered jolt after jolt.
Rajasthan didn’t begin as planned. In the third over, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Nitish Rana scored only 12 runs combined. However, skipper Sanju Samson and Riyan Parag remained aggressive against Gujarat’s quick bowlers. Together, they brought their side near 60 runs during the Powerplay. Yet, when Riyan Parag was dismissed for 26 in the seventh over, things shifted gears. Soon after, Dhruv Jurel followed him back to the pavilion.
Following the loss of four wickets for only 68 runs, the burden fell upon Captain Sanju Samson and Shimrom Hetmeyer, who had already surpassed a total of 110 by the 12th over. However, in the subsequent 13th over, Prasidh Krishna dismissed Samson (41), marking his first scalp. The following over saw Shivam Dubey being sent back as well. A recurring issue faced by Rajasthan was their tendency to lose two wickets consecutively during multiple stages of the match. By the 16th over, Prasidh sealed off Rajasthan’s chances entirely with the dismissal of Hetmeyer (52). Ultimately, Rajasthan's batting effort crumbled to 159 from their allotted overs. Prasidh claimed three wickets, whereas both Rashid Khan and Sai Kishore picked up two apiece.
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