Gujarat Titans consolidate top spot after Gill-Sai Sudharsan show

Despite losing the last time they batted first, Gujarat Titans (GT) stuck with their tried and tested method of starting calmly, assessing the conditions and minimising risk. The result this time was a total of 198 for 3 on a tricky surface, a total they defended with ease against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to consolidate their lead at the top of the table.

Led by Shubman Gill's 90 off 55, the GT top three again did the bulk of the scoring, scoring 183 runs among them, after the second-slowest powerplay of this IPL for a side not losing a wicket. On a pitch that had just enough to discourage fluent stroke-play, Gill and B Sai Sudharsan relied on rotation of strike and the occasional onslaught. They added 114 for the first wicket before Jos Buttler provided the finishing touches with 41 off 23.

There were still doubts if GT had left a few runs out in the middle, but their relentless bowling extracted enough from the pitch to vindicate the batting approach and set up a big win by 39 runs.

In their young existence, GT have always played like peak Chennai Super Kings (CSK), trusting their batters to make decisions in the middle and investing in bowlers who reduce the need to take high risks when they are batting. They are the second-slowest team in the powerplay this IPL, but also the quickest overall. Part of it is their top order taking its time and then cashing in later. On the night, it meant no boundary in the first 11 balls, only one aerial shot in the powerplay and just 45 runs when the field was up.

He didn't do much when the field was up, but once he felt he was in, Gill took on the deep fielders immediately after the powerplay. He started with 6 off 11, then used the pace of Harshit Rana to reach 22 off 19 before hitting Moeen Ali for six, four and four in consecutive balls. Again, though, he chose a touch of caution when facing Sunil Narine.

Sai Sudharsan took the load off him by attacking fellow Tamil Nadu player Varun Chakravarthy and then Harshit, who was getting purchase from the pitch with his offcutters. He even outpaced Gill to the fifty: in 33 balls to Gill's 34. The orange cap followed soon after.

Sai Sudharsan's wicket to Andre Russell's extra bounce would have given KKR hope, but Buttler crushed their joy by hitting three consecutive fours in the same over. Gill now took on the responsibility of attacking the two main spinners, taking 12 and 11 in the 16th and 17th overs. It was a big win for GT that the spinners bowled 11 overs for no wicket and 96 runs without frenetic cricket.

Gill missed out on the century as he hit a full toss straight to deep midwicket, but Buttler and Shahrukh Khan made it 85 off the last eight overs.

KKR rang in the changes in this match hoping for better returns, but they also went in confident chasing anything under 210. This is where the GT way comes in. They might sometimes fall ten or so short of a perfect chase, but they hardly ever were 50 short because they went too hard. Lucknow Super Giants might have put in a perfect chase last game, KKR were far from perfect.

Mohammed Siraj started with an unplayable ball to get Rahmanullah Gurbaz: an outswinger that pitched and nipped in to give him no chance. Ajinkya Rahane was the only KKR batter who looked fluent, but Narine and Venkatesh Iyer got stuck at the other end. Narine still managed 17 off 13, but Venkatesh's 14 off 19 left them needing nothing short of a Russell special.

Rahane scored a fifty off 36 balls but a clever Washington Sundar wide ball had him stumped immediately after. Russell started with a four and a six off Washington, but canny spin bowling from Sai Kishore tied him down before Rashid Khan capped off his return to good results with the wicket of Russell. The ask was already in the realms of the impossible by then.

Towards the end, Prasidh Krishna extended his lead at the top of the purple cap charts with figures of 4-0-25-2 taking him to 16 wickets.