Gujarat Titans’ players celebrate the wicket of Rajasthan Royals’ Shimron Hetmyer. (PTI Photo)

Sai Sudharsan’s elegant 82 off 53 balls and a disciplined bowling performance powered Gujarat Titans to a thumping 58-run win over Rajasthan Royals at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Wednesday, taking GT to the top of the IPL 2025 points table.
Electing to bat first, GT posted a formidable 217/6, thanks to Sudharsan’s masterful knock, peppered with eight boundaries and three sixes. Valuable contributions from Jos Buttler (36), Shahrukh Khan (36) and Rahul Tewatia (24 not out) added crucial impetus to the innings. Sudharsan anchored the middle overs with class, stitching an 80-run partnership with Buttler, before falling in the 18th over to Tushar Deshpande.
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Chasing 218, Rajasthan Royals were rocked early as Arshad Khan and Mohammed Siraj removed Yashasvi Jaiswal (6) and Nitish Rana (1) inside three overs. Captain Sanju Samson (41) and Riyan Parag (26) counterattacked with flair, but Impact Sub Kulwant Khejroliya broke the stand, and Rashid Khan soon removed Dhruv Jurel.
Despite a fighting 52 off 32 from Shimron Hetmyer, RR collapsed to 159 all out in 19.2 overs. Prasidh Krishna (3/24) cleaned up Samson and Hetmyer in quick succession to seal the win. Rashid Khan (2/37) and Sai Kishore (2/20) were equally effective.
With their fourth win in five games, GT climbed to first place with 8 points and a net run rate of +1.413. RR, meanwhile, suffered their third loss in five outings and dropped to 7th, with a deteriorated NRR of -0.733.
Brief Scores:
Gujarat Titans: 217 for 6 in 20 overs (Sai Sudharsan 82, Jos Buttler 36, M Shahrukh Khan 36; Maheesh Theekshana 2/54, Tushar Deshpande 2/53).
Rajasthan Royals: 159 all out in 19.2 overs (Shimron Hetmyer 52, Sanju Samson 41; Prasidh Krishna 3/24, Rashid Khan 2/37, Sai Kishore 2/20).