“Giving me more strike in the powerplay,” Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill’s post-match comments carried a light tone, but one line stood out. Speaking about Sai Sudharsan, he said he hopes the batter “continues to perform like this in the next match, and give me more strike in the powerplay (smiles)”. The smile softened it, but the message was clear enough to raise eyebrows about how GT’s opening roles are being split.
Gill added that Sudharsan had been “brilliant tonight”, but the remark on strike in the powerplay hinted at an underlying discussion within the camp about tempo at the top.
Sudharsan leads, GT build and fade
Sai Sudharsan set the tone for Gujarat Titans with a sharp 55 off 27 balls, hitting 2 fours and 6 sixes and taking charge of the powerplay. Shubman Gill made 32 off 24, but most of his early work came in rotation, facing only 7 balls in the powerplay and scoring 9 runs as Sudharsan made 46 off 29 balls and handled the bulk of the scoring.
Their opening stand pushed GT to 57 without loss in six overs, but the innings lost sharpness later. The middle overs slowed, and a key stretch between the 16th and 19th overs produced no boundaries, which Gill later pointed out as a decisive phase. GT finished on 205 for 3, a strong total but one that felt slightly under-pressed given their start.
RCB’s chase and control at Chinnaswamy
Royal Challengers Bengaluru chased 206 with control in front of their home crowd, finishing the job with five wickets in hand.Virat Kohli once again dictated terms at the top, finishing with 81 off 44 balls, including 8 fours and 4 sixes, in a chase that never drifted out of control for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. He was dropped on nought in the first over by Washington Sundar off Mohammed Siraj, and Gujarat Titans paid a heavy price as Kohli settled quickly and found rhythm.
Devdutt Padikkal supported him with a fluent 55 off 27 balls, striking cleanly through the off side and punishing anything short. The innings was built on a strong opening phase, with Kohli and Padikkal setting the tone early and keeping RCB ahead in the chase throughout.
RCB’s powerplay kept them ahead of the required rate, and they never allowed Gujarat Titans to build sustained pressure. Kohli’s anchor role and Padikkal’s acceleration ensured the chase stayed on track throughout, as the hosts returned to second place on the table.