NEW DELHI: Saturday’s IPL 2025 double-header served up two nail-biters, with Jos Buttler and Avesh Khan playing lead roles in contrasting fashion to guide Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants to memorable wins over Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals, respectively.
In Ahmedabad, Buttler weathered cramps and unleashed a blistering unbeaten 97 off 54 balls to steer Gujarat Titans to a seven-wicket victory over Delhi Capitals.
Chasing 204, GT overcame early hiccups with Shubman Gill and B Sai Sudharsan departing early, but Buttler anchored the chase alongside Sherfane Rutherford (43), the pair adding a match-turning 119-run stand for the third wicket.
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Buttler’s knock was a masterclass in timing and power; he famously took apart Mitchell Starc for five consecutive boundaries in the 15th over, blending classical strokeplay with brute efficiency.
Despite missing out on a hundred, Buttler ensured the chase ended with four balls to spare as Rahul Tewatia finished things in style.
Earlier, Prasidh Krishna’s 4/41 helped restrict DC to 203/8 despite fighting knocks from Axar Patel (39) and Ashutosh Sharma (37 off 19).
In Jaipur, Avesh Khan delivered under extreme pressure, defending nine runs in the final over as Lucknow Super Giants eked out a two-run win against Rajasthan Royals.
RR, chasing 181, were coasting at 156/2 in 17 overs with a blazing Yashasvi Jaiswal (74) and 14-year-old debutant Vaibhav Suryavanshi (34) setting the tone.
But Avesh’s deadly 18th over, removing Jaiswal and Riyan Parag, turned the game on its head.
With nine needed off the final six, Avesh dismissed Shimron Hetmyer and conceded just six runs, finishing with 3/37 and sealing a heist win for LSG.
Earlier, Aiden Markram (66) and Ayush Badoni (50) helped LSG post a competitive 180/5, with Abdul Samad’s 10-ball 30 lifting them past 175.
The wins saw Gujarat Titans climb to the top of the table, while Lucknow Super Giants revived their campaign with a gritty, last-over triumph that will be talked about for days.
Get the latest IPL 2025 updates on Times of India, including match schedules, team squads, points table and IPL live score for CSK, MI, RCB, KKR, SRH, LSG, DC, GT, PBKS, and RR. Don’t miss the list of players in the race for IPL Orange Cap and IPL Purple cap.
