Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler have amassed over 450 runs each in 10 games so far; their prime form is at the heart of Gujarat Titans' remarkable run this season.
Gujarat Titans scored a resounding 38-run victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad, in Ahmedabad on Friday, to move a step closer to the Indian Premier League play-offs.
Put in to bat first, their top three -- Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler -- delivered a batting spectacle once again, dismantling the opposition attack with a perfect blend of aggression and composure.
Making Powerplay Count
The three of them have aggregated over 450 runs each in 10 games so far; their prime form is at the heart of GT’s remarkable run this season.
While Sudharsan leads the run-getters' chart with 504 runs, Buttler is third with 470 and Gill fourth with 465.
Over the last three seasons, they are the only top-three batters with an average of over 40 and strike rate of 140-plus while featuring in at least 20 matches.
Interestingly, Sudharsan, Gill and Buttler have scored 76 percent of GT's runs in the 10 matches the team played so far.
Their middle and lower-order batters have not had much time out in the middle, although they have been striking at 169, the highest of all teams.
Against SRH, the opening partnership between Gill and Sudharsan surged past the 50-run mark in just four overs, setting a blistering pace.
They smashed a combined 15 boundaries -- 13 fours and two sixes -- in the first six overs as GT raced to their best Powerplay score of 82-0 in IPL history, bettering the 78-0 versus Lucknow Super Giants at the same venue in 2023.
Least Dot Balls
It was also the sixth 50-plus opening stand in the first 10 games for Gujarat Titans -- the most by a team in IPL 2025.
Continuing his rich vein of form, Gill again provided a steady start, anchoring the innings with assurance and showcasing remarkable consistency at the top of the order.
The Team India opener blended timing and grace to rake up a stroke-filled 38-ball 76, which was studded with 10 boundaries and two maximums, his third consecutive fifty-plus score in IPL 2025.
Seemingly, Sunrisers Hyderabad is Gill’s favourite IPL opponent, as his last four scores against them read: 101, 36, 61 not out and 76.
He made his intentions clear straightway by hoisting Mohammed Shami over backward square leg for a 69 metres six with a wristy flick off the third ball of the innings. He brought up his half-century, his 25th in the IPL, off just 25 balls with an elegant cover drive off the same bowler in the 10th over.
Sudharsan followed suit with an aggressive, yet calculated knock of 48 from 23 balls, peppering the field with crisp drives and elegant pulls.
Fastest Indians to 2,000 IPL runs
The southpaw from Tamil Nadu dealt only in boundaries -- nine in total -- five of them coming in the third over of the innings, bowled by Shami.
The Team India pacer had a forgettable outing, conceding 48 runs in three overs, at an average of 16 per over.
In the process, Sudharsan became the fastest Indian to score 2,000 runs in T20s -- in just 54 innings -- surpassing the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, who reached the milestone in 59.
Fastest to 2,000 T20 runs
Overall, he is just behind Australia’s Shaun Marsh, who got to the landmark in 53 innings.
Before getting out in the seventh over, bowled by Zeeshan Ansari, Sudharsan hit his 50th boundary of the season, the most by any batter, as he overtook Mumbai Indians’s Suryakumar Yadav, who has 46 to his name.
Buttler, batting at No. 3, continued from where he left off against Rajasthan Royals in their previous match, when GT were blown away by a Vaibhav Suryavanshi storm despite him scoring a 26-ball 50.
The English dasher turned on the heat with a flurry of boundaries and sixes, maintaining relentless pressure on the bowlers, as he brought up his fifth half-century of the season while scoring 64 off 37 balls, laced with three fours and four maximums.
Coming into the match, Buttler needed just 12 runs to be the first English batter to score 4,000 IPL runs, and it took him just seven balls to get there.
His 4,000 runs came off 2,677 balls; the milestone is only behind Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers (2,658 balls each) in terms of balls faced in that elite list.
Dominant Run
The right-hander, who started his IPL journey with Mumbai Indians in 2016, has so far amassed 4,052 runs, with a 40-plus average and strike rate close to 150.
He also has seven centuries and 23 fifties under his belt.
The former England skipper has remained unbeaten in three of his last four outings this season, scoring 97 off 54 against Delhi Capitals, 41 off 23 against Kolkata Knight Riders and 50 off 26 vs Rajasthan Royals.
A Man for All Seasons
Although the Titans lost three wickets in the final over of their innings, the trio’s combined brilliance propelled them to a formidable 224-6, leaving little room for SRH for a comeback and sealing a dominant win that underlined their top-order firepower.
Photographs: BCCI
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