Gujarat Titans (GT) kicked off their IPL 2025 campaign with a loss against the Punjab Kings (PBKS), with both their batting and bowling units letting them down. Shreyas Iyer played one of his all-time greatest IPL knocks (97*), taking PBKS to a historic 243. Shashank Singh also hammered a great 16-ball 44*. GT, in reply, started brightly, but some great death bowling, especially by Vijaykumar Vyshak, managed to break GT’s gas and take PBKS to an 11-run win.
Shubman Gill – 7/10
235.71 – That is a strike rate that you don’t often associate with Shubman Gill! But the GT skipper walked the talk and came out all guns blazing when needed. While his partner, Sai Sudharsan, took some time to get off the blocks, Gill was magical. Some of his lofted shots were a delight to watch. However, in an attempt to slash Maxwell, Gill skied one straight to Priyansh Arya. It was a pitty that the Ahmedabad crowd didn’t get to see more of Gill tonight.
Sai Sudharsan – 7.7/10
On paper, a 74 off 41 looks great. However, if we dig deeper, Sai Sudharsan’s knock wasn’t on par with what was actually needed by GT. They had a required run rate of 12.2 before the start of the innings, but the southpaw went at 10.82, almost two runs per over slower. Also, he made just 25 off 21 after the powerplay overs, putting GT under massive pressure. No doubt, Sudharsan went well post-powerplay, but it left too much for the likes of Jos Buttler and others.
Jos Buttler – 6.5/10
Similar to Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler’s innings also managed to take GT closer to the target, but it didn’t help them take there faster. When Buttler came to the crease, GT needed almost 13 runs per over. However, his innings of 54 off 33 balls saw the English veteran manage a run rate of less than 10! That is what let GT down.
Sherfane Rutherford – 8/10
GT used Sherfane Rutherford as an Impact Sub. The Caribbean power put some masala into the game but PBKS pacers’ strategy to bowl wide line yorkers cut short Rutherford’s menace. He wasn’t agile enough to hit those predictable lines and had to endure 8 dot balls. The southpaw hit 46 off off 28 balls.
Rashid Khan – 3.5/10
Rashid Khan’s spell was divided into two halves. He leaked just a couple of boundaries in his first 16 balls. But his next eight balls were hit for five boundaries! His only over at the death was the 18th over, where Shashank Singh completely smoked him out of the picture. PBKS claimed 20 off that over, leaving Rashid’s figures to 48/1.
R. Sai Kishore – 9/10
Undoubtedly the best bowler of the day for the Gujarat Titans! It was a bit surprising to see R Sai Kishore in the first XI, especially ahead of Washington Sundar. But gladly, Sai Kishore showed everyone his true value. The left-arm spinner is already an established name in domestic cricket. But now, people will remember him for taking the wickets of Azmatullah Omarzai, Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis in a span of 12 balls. He was keeping it slow and loopy, whereas Rashid Khan kept it quicker.
Kagiso Rabada – 6.5/10
Weirdly, Kagiso Rabada was bowled three of his four overs within the powerplay. He got the wicket of Prabhsimran but that was it. Batters were finding ways to hit Rabada for boundaries as well. However, GT slipped one easy chance of a catch off Rabada’s bowling. In his only over outside the powerplay, the Protea pacer gave away 10 runs. It was a great over, considering runs were flowing like a river at that juncture.
Mohammed Siraj – 1/10
All eyes were on Mohammed Siraj after the Hyderabadi-born pacer was left shocked by RCB and Team India. But his first outing with the Gujarat Titans (GT) went downhill. He was initially taken away by two youngsters, Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh. While the Narendra Modi Stadium offers some hint of movement in the air, Siraj had an off-day. He leaked 13.50 per over before getting hammered for 23 runs in the last over by Shashank Singh.
Prasidh Krishna – 1/10
Making his IPL comeback after two years, Prasidh Krishna had a forgettable game. He did hit Shreyas Iyer on the ribs but that was it. Despite being one of the tallest bowlers in India, Krishna failed to use the zip on the crease. He leaked 41 runs in just three overs. His hit-the-deck bowling proved way too easy for PBKS batters.
Skipper Shreyas Iyer was on a rampage mode against Prasidh Krishna in the
— InsideSport (@InsideSportIND) March 25, 2025th over
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