Record-breaking centurions Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan guided Gujarat Titans home with a splendid batting effort against Chennai Super Kings to keep the team's playoff hopes alive. The two GT openers smashed centuries on their way to register multiple records at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The Super Kings gave everything they could with the bat but fell short by 35 runs.
With this win, the Titans are alive in the race for the playoffs. They have registered their fifth win in their 12th match and can still finish on 14 points to stand a chance for qualification.
The Super Kings find themselves stacked in the middle-table and while they still have good chance to reach in the playoffs, they face a stiffer competition now. Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants are placed on equal points to that of CSK - 12 in as many games.
Gill and Sudharsan looked batting on a different planet. CSK, who are without several key pacers like Matheesha Pathirana, Mustafizur Rahman and Deepak Chahar, found it tough to get their openers out. The two matched shot-for-shot and kept creaming runs.
The duo brought up a stand of 210, which is now the joint-most by an opening pair in the history of the tournament. This was the only second 200-plus opening stand in IPL and the first one involving both Indian players.
Gill and Sudharsan smashed centuries. Sudharasan made 103 from 51 balls, while Gill amassed 104 from 55 balls. The Titans were well poised to make something around 260 but CSK did well to restrict them in the death overs.
CSK did not start well, losing both their openers - Ajinkya Rahane and Rachin Ravindra - in the first seven balls. It became worse when Ruturaj Gaikwad went back for a duck. Daryl Mitchell and Moeen Ali stood to rebuild the innings. The two brought up a 109-run stand but just when they would be hoping to go even bigger, Mohit Sharma got them both.
Mitchell departed for 63, while Moeen made 56. Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni had some cameos but by then it was way too much for the Super Kings as it only mitigated the loss and the reduction of Net run rate.
