Sudharsan and Gill power Gujarat into playoffs with victory over DC, Punjab down Rajasthan

Sai Sudharsan hit an unbeaten 108 and skipper Shubman Gill made 93 not out as Gujarat Titans booked their play-off spot in the IPL with a 10-wicket hammering of Delhi Capitals on Sunday.

The day marked the return of IPL action with two completed matches after Saturday’s scheduled resumption ended in a washout.

The T20 tournament was paused last week due a deadly conflict between India and Pakistan but officials decided to resume the tournament after a ceasefire.

Gujarat’s victory also ensured a spot in the play-offs for Royal Challengers Bengaluru as well as Punjab Kings, who earlier in the day won their match against Rajasthan Royals.

Impact substitute Sudharsan, who struck his second IPL century, and Gill allowed Gujarat to chase down a target of 200 with one over to spare at Delhi’s Feroz Shah Kotla ground.

Gujarat, who won the IPL in their debut season in 2022, returned to the top of the 10-team table.

Delhi, five-time champions Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants are the three teams remaining in the hunt for one play-off spot.

The huge partnership between Gill and Sudharsan trumped KL Rahul’s unbeaten 112 that steered the home team to 199-3 on a batting-friendly pitch.

Sudharsan came out attacking as he raced to 25 off nine balls and reached his fifty with a boundary.

Gill soon changed gears as he took on Sri Lanka’s Dushmantha Chameera in a 19-run 13th over, with Sudharsan picking up the pace as well and completing his hundred before hitting the winning six.

Earlier Rahul, who was promoted to open the innings, struck 14 fours and four sixes en route to his fifth career IPL ton.

The senior India batter put on key stands including 90 runs with Abishek Porel, who made 30 off 19 balls after Delhi lost Faf du Plessis, for five.

Delhi skipper Axar Patel fell for 25 but Rahul stood firm to reach his hundred, soaking up the applause from an appreciative home crowd.

Rahul along with South African batter Tristan Stubbs, who hit an unbeaten 21 off 10 balls, helped Delhi finish strong with a 16-run final over off Mohammed Siraj but the blitz was not enough.

Since the pause in the IPL, the tournament has been rescheduled with the final now set to take place on June 3.

Punjab triumph: Afghanistan’s Azmatullah Omarzai marked the restart of the IPL with a fine all-round contribution as Punjab Kings closed in on a play-off spot with a 10-run win over Rajasthan Royals.

It was the first completed match since the resumption of the T20 tournament which had been paused because of an India-Pakistan conflict.

The weather was more clement in Jaipur as Punjab posted 219-5 when they elected to bat first in high-scoring match.

Left-handed Nehal Wadhera top-scored with 70 off 37 balls before Shashank Singh made the team finish strong with his unbeaten 59.

Omarzai boosted the total with his unbeaten nine-ball 21 before he returned with two key wickets to restrict Rajasthan to 209-7.

Punjab are second in the 10-team table topped by Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Both teams are on 17 points in 12 matches.

Impact substitute Harpreet Brar stood out with figures of 3-22 with his left-arm spin and South African left-arm quick Marco Jansen took two wickets in the final over when Rajasthan needed 22 for a win.

Explosive opening knocks by Yashasvi Jaiswal and 14-year-old Suryavanshi Vaibhav Suryavanshi went in vain after the two left-handers fired Rajasthan to 89-1 in the first six overs.

Jaiswal hit a 25-ball 50 and Suryavanshi made 40 off 15 balls.

Suryavanshi, who hit an IPL century in 35 balls last month to shatter records, hammered the opposition bowlers for four fours and four sixes.

Punjab introduced spin in the fifth over and Brar dismissed both openers in quick succession, Suryavanshi chipping a leading edge to mid-off and Jaiswal, just after he had passed 50, failing to clear Mitch Owen at long-off.

Agencie France-Presse