Gujarat Titans (GT) captain Shubman Gill felt his team may have conceded "ten to 15 extra" to Delhi Capitals (DC). But B Sai Sudharsan and he more than made up for it with an unbroken 205-run opening stand that powered GT to a ten-wicket win that also put them in the IPL 2025 playoffs. GT now sit top of the table, with two league games - and potentially a home playoff - still to come.
"Honestly, at the halfway point, I thought we gave ten to 15 extra," Gill said on the broadcast. "There was a little bit of grip for the spinners. They [DC] batted well, kept wickets in hand, and utilised the wicket pretty well. When we went out to bat, the talk was to just try and play good cricket shots, and once we were in the flow, we can take the game from there."
Gill, who revealed that the enforced break in the IPL had allowed him to recover from a bug, finished unbeaten on 93, while Sai Sudharsan brought up his second IPL hundred - 108 not out off just 61 balls. Together, the two have now amassed 839 runs (and counting) this season, the most by an Indian opening pair in IPL history.
"There's a bit of joy when you finish games for the team," Sai Sudharsan, the Player of the Match, said. "In the break we got, I was thinking on that [finishing games] a bit more. Between overs seven to ten, they bowled really well [DC conceded 30 to leave GT 93 without loss]. The momentum went down a bit.
"We wanted to take the game deep, didn't want to be desperate to take a lot of chances, have a cool enough mindset to take the game deep. And we got two or three big overs that changed the game. In the previous games, I took chances and got out. Here, I was aware enough to take the game deep, and take my chances against the right match-ups."
Asked about the changes in his approach to T20 batting, Sai Sudharsan pointed to growing belief and mental freedom. "I've started to believe a bit more," he said. "From my mindset point of view, the belief I have has gotten better to take the game deeper and win games. I have expanded my batting, explored my batting; mentally I'm a bit more free and expressive."
Tom Moody and Piyush Chawla heap praise on GT's opening pair
Sai Sudharsan also praised his captain when asked about their partnership and understanding. "When I got after the bowlers, he complements me; we rotate strike and run really well," he said. "In the middle overs, running is a vital thing for us. When I do some mistakes, he makes me aware, and similarly from my side as well."
Meanwhile, GT batting coach Parthiv Patel credited the pair's chemistry and risk-free aggression for their continued success.
"You talk of high-risk, high reward. These two play low-risk cricket and still have the ability to hit down the ground and get boundaries and sixes," Parthiv said. "The fours they hit in the powerplay… I feel they know their game, on top of everything. People don't see how much hard work they put in, creating those basics stronger, that's why they are scoring runs. They communicate really well.
"Last year also, they batted brilliantly. When the season started, everyone thought [Jos] Buttler would be opening. These two knew what they are doing. The opening pair is about chemistry and knowing each other's game really well, and these two know their games really well."