The High-Voltage GT vs KKR IPL 2025 encounter was dominated by the batting of the Gujarat Titans in their 198/3 after being invited to bat. A sublime 90 off 55 balls by Shubman Gill led the cause, supported by the 52 of B Sai Sudharsan off 36 and a flourish towards the finish by Jos Buttler, staying not out at 41 off 23 deliveries.
GT restricted KKR at 159 by taking 8 wickets. The player of the match was the skipper, Shubhaman Gill, for his magnificent innings.
KKR’s tumbling batting performance in the chase
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The openers Sunil Narine and Rahmanullah Gurbaz gave their wickets early, and in the middle over phase, Venkatesh Iyer and Ajinkya Rahane played a slow innings where 30 balls were bowled without a boundary, resulting in adding extra difficulty to the power hitters in the lower order.
Ajinkya played a knock of 50 runs in 36 balls where whereas Venkatesh scored only 14 runs in 19 balls. Russel, Rinku, and Angkrish tried to reduce the margin of loss, but due to high high-pressure match, Russel lost his wicket to Rashid Khan with a googlie, and Rinku was dismissed by Ishant Sharma with an off-cutter bouncer caught by the skipper Shubhman.
A Balanced Beginning on Treacherous Territory
Gujarat Titans’ openers, conscious of the slow nature of the pitch, opened cautiously. The first few overs witnessed cautious risk-taking since the ball wasn’t coming onto the bat. This cautious opening resulted in GT scoring only 45 runs during the powerplay, which is the second-lowest powerplay score this season by a side that didn’t lose a wicket.
Though slow to begin with, the plan paid off in favour of GT. The openers took care to bat deep, which was important on a surface that provided support to the bowlers initially.
Gill-Sudharsan Partnership Lays the Foundation
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After the powerplay, Shubman Gill changed gear and started playing aggressively. Sudharsan supported him magnificently as both the batsmen raised their respective half-centuries in the course of a match-defining 114-run stand.
The pair accelerated nicely, particularly in the middle overs, as they cashed in on loose bowling and rotated the strike well. Sudharsan fell in the 13th over, but by that time, the Titans had built a solid foundation for a big finish.
Buttler Gives the Final Touch
With the platform laid, Jos Buttler came in and made sure that the momentum wasn’t lost. Even as the bowlers, especially Harshit Rana, got some grip and bounce from the pitch, Buttler didn’t lose his cool. His 41 from 23 balls* consisted of well-timed boundaries that kept the scoreboard running.
The spin pair of Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy also did not make a mark, going wicketless and leaking 96 runs in total in their 11 overs.
Gill’s Late Onslaught and Unfortunate Dismissal
Gill discovered a second wind in the death overs, particularly in the 16th and 17th overs, when he faced both Chakravarthy and Narine. He hit 29 runs from his last 12 balls, indicating a century was possible. But a mis-timed shot off a full toss left him short at 90, caught at deep midwicket. Although failing to reach the three-figure mark, Gill’s innings was instrumental in taking Gujarat to a strong score.
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