Sai Sudharsan’s classy fifty combined with a collective bowling effort powered Gujarat Titans to a commanding 58-run win over Rajasthan Royals in their IPL 2025 match in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.

Sudharsan lit up the evening with a dazzling 53-ball 82, while explosive cameos from Jos Buttler (36), Shahrukh Khan (36), and Rahul Tewatia (24) propelled GT to a formidable 217/6 after they were put into bat.

The GT bowlers then kept chipping away, striking at regular intervals to keep Rajasthan on the back foot despite fighting knocks from Shimron Hetmyer (52) and skipper Sanju Samson (41).

Royals were eventually bowled out for 159 in 19.1 overs.

Gujarat Titans win their fourth match in a row to jump to the top of the standings with eight points from five games, while Royals are seventh with four points from five games.

Sudharsan was in sublime touch, effortlessly finding gaps and punishing anything loose. His fluent knock, laced with eight boundaries and three sixes, formed the bedrock of GT’s imposing total.

Defending 217, pacers Mohammed Siraj (1/30) and Arshad Khan (1/19) struck early to give GT the perfect start.

Arshad drew first blood, removing the dangerous Yashasvi Jaiswal (6) who slashed at a wide one and picked out Rashid Khan at deep point.

In the very next over, Nitish Rana (1) attempted an upper-cut off Siraj but met the same fate, guiding it straight to the fielder at thirdman.

But Samson and Riyan Parag (26) launched a fiery counterattack. Parag smoked three no-look sixes, while Samson dispatched anything loose to the boundary with casual ease, taking RR to 57/2 in the Powerplay.

The momentum swung again as Impact Sub Kulwant Khejroliya (1/29) had Parag caught by Buttler, before Rashid Khan removed Dhruv Jurel (5) to leave Rajasthan tottering at 68/4.

Samson and Hetmyer added 48 runs to keep hopes alive, but Prasidh Krishna (3/24) dealt the killer blow.

He first dismissed Samson as the wicketkeeper tried to steer one behind square but only managed to skew it high towards Sai Kishore, who held on calmly at the edge of the circle.

Krishna then returned to snare Hetmyer to finish off RR’s hopes.

Earlier, after leaking plenty of runs initially in the IPL, Jofra Archer (1/30) is well and truly back to his best.

With the new ball in hand, he cranked it up to 152.3 kph in his first over, then returned in his second to clean up Shubman Gill (2) with a steaming 147.7 kph inswinger that beat the inside edge and crashed into Gill’s off stump.

Archer then greeted Jos Buttler (36) with a sharp bouncer, but the former England captain responded a couple of balls later with a crisp four to the deep-cover boundary.

With Sudharsan taking charge, Buttler joined the party with back-to-back boundaries off Fazalhaq Farooqi (0/38) in the seventh over.

In the next over, he sliced Maheesh Theekshana (2/54) through the off side for a four, before lofting him straight down the ground for another boundary.

But Theekshana had the last laugh, trapping Buttler leg-before, ending an 80-run partnership.

Rajasthan skipper Sanju Samson immediately turned back to Archer in a bid to stem the flow of runs, and the Barbados-born pacer repaid the faith with a tight over that went for just six.

But Shahrukh Khan (36 off 20) exploded into action in the very next over, slamming consecutive boundaries before muscling one over deep extra cover to inject some much needed momentum into the GT innings.

The boundaries kept coming as Shahrukh went after Theekshana in the 14th over that yielded 16 runs.

Royals responded by striking twice in quick succession, removing Shahrukh and Sherfane Rutherford (7) to pull things back.

Sudharsan was handed a lifeline on 81 but couldn’t make much of the reprieve, as Tushar Deshpande had him caught behind after he got an inside edge off a full delivery. 

The five-time champions Chennai Super Kings once again fell short while chasing a big target, as Punjab Kings secured an 18-run win in Match 22 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.

Devon Conway top-scored with a 69-run knock, while cameos from Shivam Dube (42) and Rachin Ravindra (36) offered some resistance. But it wasn’t enough to overhaul Punjab’s commanding total, set up by Priyansh Arya’s stunning maiden IPL century.

Lockie Ferguson was the standout with the ball for Punjab, grabbing two key wickets. Glenn Maxwell and Yash Thakur chipped in with crucial breakthroughs that helped keep CSK’s scoring in check during the second innings.

Devon Conway’s 69-run contribution alongside cameos by Shivam Dube (42) and Rachin Ravindra (36) were not enough on the night after Priyansh Arya’s blazing maiden IPL ton powered the home side to 219/6 in the first innings.

For Punjab, Lockie Ferguson claimed two wickets on the night while Glenn Maxwell and Yash Thakur provided important breakthroughs to keep in control of the second innings.

CSK Start Steady But Lose Momentum

Although if one were to compare wickets in hand, Chennai navigated the power-play without the loss of one, but were not able to maintain the ever-growing run-rate. New Zealand duo Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway raised 61 runs before the former tried to advance down the pitch and was stumped way out by wicket-keeper Prabhsimran Singh.

Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad’s (1) lean run at the No.3 position continued as he was caught by Shashank Singh at short mid-wicket. Impact substitute Shivam Dube (42) showed glimpses of his big-hitting prowess and stitched an 89-run stand with Conway.

The former brought his half-century in 37 balls, having slowed down after an initial burst, but struggled to find the boundary. Just when it seemed like they could bring the game back in CSK’s favour, he was cleaned up by Ferguson to end his time at the crease.

Dhoni’s Cameo Raises Hope, But Punjab Hold Nerve

The crowd went into a frenzy as Mahendra Singh Dhoni (27) walked out to bat, higher than his usual position these days and he even made the fans believe for a minute. After rotating the strike against Yuzvendra Chahal in the 16th over, the talismanic wicket-keeper batter sent Ferguson for consecutive sixes.

With Conway unable to find the boundary since hitting a six in the 14th over, CSK quite boldly decided to send in Ravindra Jadeja and retire the Kiwi batter.

Dhoni followed it with a four and a six off Arshdeep Singh in the penultimate over and brought the target down to 28 runs required off the last over. In an anti-climactic finish, a full toss by Yash Thakur saw Dhoni hammer it to Chahal straight at short fine leg. Jadeja hit a six later in the over, but the Super Kings were handed their fourth straight defeat.

In the first innings, after electing to bat first, Priyansh Arya gave the Punjab Kings the perfect start by smashing Khaleel Ahmed’s delivery for a six on the first ball of the game before being dropped by the bowler on the very next delivery and proceeded to hit the quick for 17 in the opening over.

However, Chennai hit back by claiming important scalps of Prabhsimran Singh, Shreyas Iyer, and Marcus Stoinis. Ashwin certainly showed glimpses of his great self on the night when he dismissed Nehal Wadhera (9) and Glenn Maxwell (1) in the same over to reduce the home side to 83/5 in eight overs.

From thereon out Shashank and Arya raised hell for the bowlers and stitched a 71-run stand off 34 deliveries. Arya once again rode his luck, while batting at 79, when he was caught by Mukesh Choudhary, but he stepped onto the rope and it turned into a six. He then raised his century in style by hitting three consecutive sixes of Matheesha Pathirana before edging the next ball for four to reach the three-figure mark.

Arya soon departed after reaching the century milestone, but Marco Jansen (34 not out) and Shashank continued the heavy hitting. The duo raised 65 runs for the seventh wicket, which also saw Shashank raise his third IPL half-century on the final ball of the innings.

Brief scores:

Punjab Kings 219/6 in 20 overs (Priyansh Arya 103, Shashank Singh 52*, Marco Jansen 34*; Khaleel Ahmed 2-45, Ravichandran Ashwin 2-48) defeat CSK 201/5 in 20 overs (Devon Conway 69, Shivam Dube 42, Rachin Ravindra 36; Lockie Ferguson 2-40, Glenn Maxwell 1-11, Yash Thakur 1-39) by 18 runs

Lucknow Super Giants held their nerve in a last-over thriller to beat Kolkata Knight Riders by four runs in a high-scoring contest at Eden Gardens on Tuesday.

Chasing 239, KKR looked in cruise control at 157/2 after a blazing start from Sunil Narine (30 off 13) and a composed 50+ stand between Ajinkya Rahane and Venkatesh Iyer. But with just 83 needed from the final 7 overs, things unraveled dramatically.

LSG skipper Rishabh Pant slowed things down, just as he had in the T20 World Cup final, giving his bowlers time to regroup. Shardul Thakur struck the turning blow, breaking the Rahane-Iyer stand and triggering a collapse—KKR lost 5 wickets for just 23 runs.

Earlier, Mitchell Marsh smashed his fourth fifty of the season while Nicholas Pooran blasted a 21-ball half-century as Lucknow Super Giants’ top-order made light work of Kolkata Knight Riders’ attack to post a mammoth 238/3.

On a sweltering afternoon with a real feel of 40°C, LSG’s opening pair of Aiden Markram (47 off 28; 4×4, 2×6) and Marsh (81 off 48; 6×4, 5×6) gave them a blazing start, adding 99 runs off just 62 balls after being put in to bat.

Pooran then lit up the evening with his 36-ball unbeaten 87, studded with seven fours and eight sixes, to power them to their second highest IPL total.

The lefthander cleverly targeted the short leg-side boundary from the dressing room end, and smashed Harshit Rana for two massive sixes over the leg-side to start the 17th over — regaining the Orange Cap from Marsh in the process.

Such was the domination that LSG reached 95 without loss at the halfway stage and then added 143 in the last 10 overs with Pooran leading the carnage.

It was a clinical batting performance from LSG’s top-three. Markram’s early impetus, Marsh’s consistency, and Pooran’s finishing fireworks left KKR completely outclassed on their preferred dry and sticky wicket.

Markram was the early aggressor, plundering Spencer Johnson for 18 runs in his second over. He lofted two fours and a six off successive deliveries.

KKR’s most economical bowler, Vaibhav Arora, began impressively with a tight off-stump line, conceding just eight runs in his first two overs but found little support from the other end.

KKR turned to Varun Chakravarthy in the fifth over to stem the flow of run. He initially applied the brakes, conceding just 16 runs from his first three overs. But with both openers well set, the breakthrough never came.

Marsh was particularly fluent, working the gaps with ease, while Markram powered his way to 47 before Harshit Rana finally broke the stand in the 11th over with an off-cutter that rattled the stumps.

But if KKR hoped for respite, Pooran had other ideas. The left-hander launched a brutal assault, racing to his third IPL fifty in just 21 balls as he toyed with the KKR bowlers.

Marsh and Pooran added 71 runs off 30 balls for the second wicket, before the Australian fell to Rana after completing his fifty in 36 balls.

But Pooran ensured the momentum never dipped, smashing Varun for a six and four in the 14th over — the spinner’s most expensive of the evening — which went for 16 runs.

In the middle overs, LSG plundered 75 runs, setting themselves up for a huge total.

KKR’s bowlers had little to offer on their traditionally slow and dry surface.

Varun finished with 0/31, while Johnson was taken apart for 46 runs in his three. Sunil Narine, too, was expensive, leaking 33 from his three overs without a wicket.

Arora remained KKR’s standout bowler, conceding just 35 runs from his four overs, but lacked support from the rest.

Andre Russell, usually deployed as a partnership-breaker, came on only in the 16th over in a baffling decision but by then LSG had made 170.