New Delhi:Sai Sudharsan had sliced this out to the third-man boundary for a four. GT were going very well with a record 167-run stand for the opening wicket in their chase of 215. But then he turned his head to look behind him in his follow-through. Hands on his head, face in shock, and Gill kneeling. He had just dropped the bat back on to the stumps after hitting a boundary, for the second time in succession.
He was dismissed in similar fashion in the 2026 Qualifier 2 against Rajasthan Royals as he was in the Qualifier 1 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Played a cut, ball went to the boundary but rolled back to the stumps. GT’s star has the orange cap a few times this season and now has a pair in a row. Not good signs when you are a top-heavy batting side and especially going into the final against a side like RCB.
Three times it won’t happen, many would say. But it shouldn have happened twice ideally either. But with GT closing in on the finishing line and Gill still out there, on 95 and unbeaten, the Titans had little to worry about. Things were light and stayed that way at the end of the match when GT chased down 215 to book their place in the final.
The broadcasters' question - Would you take some glue to keep your bat stick in your hands? The broadcasters and Sudharsan’s reply were also funny. I think I need to try some stuff. “I’ll try some grip tech now and just bat a few balls and see how it is. (How does that happen twice in two games?) No, really. Last game it just bounced a couple of times and hit the stumps. But I just wanted to hit straights in this game, I think," he said after his team's seven-wicket win over the RR in the post-match presentation.
Sudharsan, Gill smash record standRR were batted out of the tournament by Sudharsan and Gill with a record stand while they were out there. Their 167-run stand for the first wicket is now the highest in an IPL playoff game for any wicket. The previous record was held by Michael Hussey and , who had scored 159 for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2011 final against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (then Royal Challengers Bangalore).
Sudharsan-Gill have now been the most prolific partners in T20 cricket. They have registered 11 partnerships of over 100 runs, the most in the format now. The record was previously held by Mohammad Rizwan and AB de Villiers-Virat Kohli with 10 such stands each.
GT into third IPL finalMeanwhile, the Titans have marched into their fifth season, their third season in a row. They won the IPL 2022 on their debut but just fell short against the Chennai Super Kings in the final of IPL 2023. They will now be facing Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2026 final in a bid to lift the title.
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