B Sai Sudharsan and Prasidh Krishna once again rose to the occasion for Gujarat Titans (GT), guiding their team to a commanding 58-run victory over Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Ahmedabad. This marked GT’s fourth consecutive win in IPL 2025, propelling them to the top of the points table.
After RR chose to bowl on a red-soil surface, Sudharsan anchored GT’s innings with a fluent 82 off 53 deliveries—his third fifty of the season—helping them post a formidable 217/6. The absence of dew in the second innings made the chase even tougher for RR. Mohammed Siraj and Arshad Khan made early inroads in the powerplay, while Prasidh Krishna’s spell of 3 for 24 during the middle overs tightened the screws. Despite Shimron Hetmyer’s valiant half-century, RR were bowled out for 159 in 19.2 overs.
Archer Finds His Rhythm with Fiery Spell
After a rocky start to IPL 2025—leaking 109 runs in 6.3 wicketless overs across his first two matches—Jofra Archer has rediscovered his rhythm in emphatic fashion. He followed up his improved form from the last two games (4 for 38 in seven overs combined) with another explosive performance.
Archer set the tone early, cranking up the pace with a 152.3kph bouncer that hurried B Sai Sudharsan. In his second over, he produced a lethal delivery at 147.7kph that jagged back in to shatter Shubman Gill’s off stump. His dominant T20 record against Gill now stands at: 15 balls, 10 runs, 3 dismissals.
Facing his former skipper Jos Buttler, Archer turned up the heat with an attacking field—two slips, a short leg, and a catching square leg. He opened with a hostile bouncer that Buttler barely avoided. The very next ball was inside-edged narrowly past short leg, followed by a crisp drive through the covers for four, offering a brief moment of relief.
Sai Sudharsan Powers On with Another Blazing Knock
Sai Sudharsan’s golden run in IPL 2025 continued with yet another impactful innings. Known for his measured starts, the left-hander changed gears early this time, unleashing an array of ramps, scoops, drives, and cuts to get Gujarat Titans off to a flying start. He helped his team reach 50 in just 5.1 overs and ended the powerplay with a rapid 39 off 22 deliveries. Among GT batters, only Wriddhiman Saha (54 vs LSG in 2023) has managed more runs during the powerplay in a single innings.
At the other end, Jos Buttler, who was on 12 off 13, accelerated with four boundaries in six balls to reach 31 off 19. Together, the duo added a brisk 80 off 46 balls before Maheesh Theekshana dismissed Buttler lbw. A short lull in scoring followed, but M Shahrukh Khan reignited the tempo with a punchy 36 off 20 balls.
Sudharsan had a slice of fortune when he was dropped on 81 by Shubham Dubey off Jofra Archer in the 18th over, but could only add one more run. The finishing touches were applied by Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan, who plundered 30 runs in the final two overs, propelling GT past the 200-run mark.
Siraj, Arshad Deliver Early Blows to Dent RR Chase
Rajasthan Royals’ chase got off to a shaky start as Gujarat Titans’ pacers struck early. Yashasvi Jaiswal was the first to fall, slashing Arshad Khan straight to deep third man in just the second over. In the very next, Nitish Rana followed suit, edging Mohammed Siraj to the same region, leaving RR reeling.
Sanju Samson and Riyan Parag attempted to rebuild with a spirited counterattack, putting together a brisk 48-run stand off 26 balls for the third wicket. However, the momentum was halted when Impact Sub Kulwant Khejroliya dismissed Parag, caught behind in the seventh over. Parag immediately went upstairs, convinced the noise came from his bat hitting the ground, but UltraEdge showed a faint spike as the ball passed the bat, prompting the third umpire to uphold the on-field decision.
Rashid Breaks Drought, Makes Key Strikes
Rashid Khan entered the match with just one wicket from his previous four games, but he made an immediate impact this time around. In his very first over, he removed Dhruv Jurel with a short ball that stayed low—Jurel’s mistimed pull was safely taken by Sai Sudharsan at deep midwicket.
Rashid has traditionally had the upper hand against Shimron Hetmyer, dismissing him six times in 63 deliveries for 79 runs prior to this encounter. He nearly struck again first ball, beating Hetmyer’s pad with a sharp delivery that pitched just outside leg. However, the West Indian fought back with intent, taking Rashid on and smashing 26 runs off 12 balls, including two boundaries and a pair of sixes.
Despite that onslaught, Rashid had the final say with the wicket of RR’s Impact Sub, Shubham Dubey, trapping him lbw for just 1 to cap off a more satisfying outing.
Prasidh Krishna Delivers Game-Changing Spell
Prasidh Krishna once again played his role to perfection as Gujarat Titans’ go-to bowler in the middle overs, delivering a decisive spell that swung the game firmly in GT’s favour. Just before Rashid Khan dismissed Shubham Dubey, Prasidh had already struck a key blow. With RR at 115 for 4 in 12 overs and needing 103 from 48 balls, Prasidh dug one in short. Sanju Samson, attempting to ramp it over point, mistimed it straight to short third man.
He returned in the 16th over to close the door completely. First, he had Jofra Archer caught at mid-off, then removed the dangerous Shimron Hetmyer—who had been threatening to pull off a late surge—with a short ball that was skied to deep backward square leg.
Those double strikes left Rajasthan reeling at 145 for 8 after 16 overs. Though they stretched their innings to the final over, the chase had long slipped away, with Gujarat Titans sealing a dominant victory.
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