Openers Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill scripted an incredible run chase as Gujarat Titans handed Delhi Capitals a humiliating 10-wicket defeat and sealed their playoff berth in a crucial IPL match in New Delhi on Sunday.
Chasing 200 for victory, Sudharsan (108 not out) and Gill (93 not out) made light work of the target, powering Gujarat to 205 for no loss with six balls to spare.
While Sudharsan struck 12 boundaries and four sixes, Gill clobbered seven sixes and three fours during the unbeaten stand.
Earlier, KL Rahul flourished as an opener, hammering 14 fours and four sixes in an unbeaten 112 off 65 balls to propel Delhi Capitals to 199 for 3 after being put in to bat.
With this win, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings also confirmed their playoff berths. Delhi Capitals, meanwhile, must win both of their remaining matches and rely on other results to stand a chance of qualifying for the knockout stage.
DC's ploy to open with a spin-pace combination backfired as GT raced to 31 without loss in two overs, with Sudharsan plundering 20 runs off T Natarajan, including three fours and a six. Axar Patel too was expensive, conceding 11 and 12 in his first two overs.
Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman and Sri Lanka’s Dushmantha Chameera briefly stemmed the flow of runs with tidy spells as GT reached 59 for no loss at the end of the powerplay.
The spin duo of Vipraj Nigam and Kuldeep Yadav was introduced soon after, but DC burned two reviews in successive overs — both involving Sudharsan. The left-hander first survived a caught-behind appeal off Vipraj on 44, and then a leg-before shout off Kuldeep on 46, much to the home team's frustration.
Sudharsan brought up his half-century with a boundary off Axar in the ninth over.
Gill, who had been playing second fiddle until then, shifted gears and began dealing in sixes. He slog-swept Axar over deep midwicket, danced down to Kuldeep for a flat six, and followed it up with another clean hit over Vipraj’s head.
He then flicked Chameera over deep midwicket before bringing up his fifty off 33 balls — his first four of the innings coming in the 13th over. He added another six off Vipraj as DC's bowling wilted.
With both openers in full flow, GT hammered four consecutive overs of double-digit scores from the ninth to the twelfth to wrest control of the chase, reaching 154 in 15 overs.
Sudharsan clobbered Kuldeep for a straight six to bring up his century off just 56 balls and fittingly finished the match with another six off Vipraj in the 19th over.
Earlier, DC suffered an early blow when Faf du Plessis (5) was dismissed by Arshad Khan (1/7 in 2 overs) in the fourth over.
Rahul, however, anchored the innings with composure and aggression, forging a 90-run stand off 52 balls with Abishek Porel (30), followed by a 45-run partnership in 26 balls with skipper Axar Patel (25), and an unbroken 48-run stand off 22 deliveries with Tristan Stubbs (21 not out).
Rahul, who has had success as an opener for his previous franchises, was in complete control, peppering the off-side with crisp cut shots and clearing the ropes with ease. He pulled Kagiso Rabada over long leg for his first six and followed it up with another over long-off.
Abishek chipped in with two sixes before falling to Sai Kishore, but Rahul continued to accelerate, finding three fortunate boundaries in a single over off the left-arm spinner.
Axar joined the act with a four and a six off Sai Kishore to push the score past 150 before being dismissed by Prasidh Krishna.
Rahul maintained the tempo, launching two sixes in the 19th over to bring up his century off 60 balls — his first ton this season — and became the first batter to score IPL hundreds for three different franchises, including Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants.
Stubbs provided the finishing touches with a couple of big hits as DC finished just shy of the 200-run mark.
