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IPL 2025: Gujarat Titans consolidate top spot after Gill-Sai Sudharsan show
Despite losing the last time they batted first, Gujarat Titans (GT) stuck with their tried and tested method of starting calmly, assessing the conditions and minimising risk. The result this time was a total of 198 for 3 on a tricky surface, a total they defended with ease against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to consolidate their lead at the top of the table.
Led by Shubman Gill’s 90 off 55, the GT top three again did the bulk of the scoring, scoring 183 runs among them, after the second-slowest powerplay of this IPL for a side not losing a wicket. On a pitch that had just enough to discourage fluent stroke-play, Gill and Bhardwaj Sai Sudarshan relied on rotation of strike and the occasional onslaught. They added 114 for the first wicket before Jos Buttler provided the finishing touches with 41 off 23.
There were still doubts if GT had left a few runs out in the middle, but their relentless bowling extracted enough from the pitch to vindicate the batting approach and set up a big win by 39 runs.
In their young existence, GT have always played like peak Chennai Super Kings (CSK), trusting their batters to make decisions in the middle and investing in bowlers who reduce the need to take high risks when they are batting. They are the second-slowest team in the powerplay this IPL, but also the quickest overall. Part of it is their top order taking its time and then cashing in later. On the night, it meant no boundary in the first 11 balls, only one aerial shot in the powerplay and just 45 runs when the field was up.
He didn’t do much when the field was up, but once he felt he was in, Gill took on the deep fielders immediately after the powerplay. He started with 6 off 11, then used the pace of Harshit Rana to reach 22 off 19 before hitting Moeen Ali for six, four and four in consecutive balls. Again, though, he chose a touch of caution when facing Sunil Narine.
Sai Sudharsan took the load off him by attacking fellow Tamil Nadu player Varun Chakravarthy and then Harshit, who was getting purchase from the pitch with his offcutters. He even outpaced Gill to the fifty: in 33 balls to Gill’s 34. The orange cap followed soon after.
Sai Sudharsan’s wicket to Andre Russell’s extra bounce would have given KKR hope, but Buttler crushed their joy by hitting three consecutive fours in the same over. Gill now took on the responsibility of attacking the two main spinners, taking 12 and 11 in the 16th and 17th overs. It was a big win for GT that the spinners bowled 11 overs for no wicket and 96 runs without frenetic cricket.
Gill missed out on the century as he hit a full toss straight to deep midwicket, but Buttler and Shahrukh Khan made it 85 off the last eight overs.
KKR rang in the changes in this match hoping for better returns, but they also went in confident chasing anything under 210. This is where the GT way comes in. They might sometimes fall ten or so short of a perfect chase, but they hardly ever were 50 short because they went too hard. Lucknow Super Giants might have put in a perfect chase last game . KKR were far from perfect.
Mohammed Siraj started with an unplayable ball to get Rahmanullah Gurbaz: an outswinger that pitched and nipped in to give him no chance. Ainkya Rahane was the only KKR batter who looked fluent, but Narine and Venkatesh Iyer got stuck at the other end. Narine still managed 17 off 13, but Venkatesh’s 14 off 19 left them needing nothing short of a Russell special.
Rahane scored a fifty off 36 balls but a clever Washington Sundar wide ball had him stumped immediately after. Russell started with a four and a six off Washington, but canny spin bowling from Sai Kishore tied him down before Rashid Khan capped off his return to good results with the wicket of Russell. The ask was already in the realms of the impossible by then.
Towards the end, Prasidh Krishna extended his lead at the top of the purple cap charts with figures of 4-0-25-2 taking him to 16 wickets.
Brief scores:
Gujarat Titans 198 for 3 in 20 overs (Shubman Gill 90, Bhardwaj Sai Sudharsan 52, Joss Buttler 41*, M Shahruk Khan 11*; Vaibhav Arora 1-44, Harshit Rana 1-45, Andre Russell 1-13) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 159 for 8 in 20 overs (Sunil Narine 17, Ajinkya Rahane 50, Venkatesh Iyer 14, Rinku Singh 17, Andre Russell 21, Angkrish Raghuvanshi 27*; Mohammed Siraj 1-32, Ishant Sharma 1-18, Prasidh Krishna 2-25, Rashid Khan 2-25, Washington Sundar 1-36, Sai Kishore 1-19) by 39 runs
[Cricinfo]
Jos Buttler has been ruled out of England’s ODI series decider against Sri Lanka at The Oval on Sunday, with Jordan Cox likely to replace him and keep wicket. Don Lawrence who is yet to win an international cap in either white-ball format, has been called up to the squad as cover.
Buttler pulled up with a left hamstring injury while running between the wickets in Thursday’s second ODI at Headingley and received treatment from England physio Steve Haw, a recent recruit from rugby union club Exeter Chiefs. He faced two more balls before retiring hurt, and briefly hobbled back to the middle before holing out as England slipped to a 16-run defeat.
Buttler’s eventual 69 was his highest score in ODIs in three years, but his injury will be something of a concern. He is now 36, and has been affected by various soft-tissue injuries in recent years. These have mainly been calf injuries, but he also suffered a similar left-hamstring issue during the 2024 IPL season.
England do not yet know the extent of Buttler’s injury but expect to have more information early next week once he has been for an MRI scan.
In Buttler’s absence, Cox is likely to win only his fourth ODI cap on Sunday and is expected to take the gloves ahead of Tom Banton. Kevin Pietersen, England’s new white-ball mentor, said on Thursday night that opportunities available through injuries would help build depth ahead of next year’s World Cup.
“[We need to] have certain players in certain positions, in order for us to know that if something like this happens to Jos in, say, the final round of whatever game in South Africa, and you’ve got to go and play a quarter-final, that somebody can step up into Jos’s boots – like we’re going to need to have on Sunday,” Pietersen said.
Lawrence, who made three half-centuries in four innings in England’s recent Test series win over Pakistan, has been withdrawn from Surrey’s ongoing Country Championship match at Somerset, having made his sixth hundred of the season on Thursday. He will train with the ODI squad at The Oval on Saturday.
Lawrence was previously called up to England’s ODI squad to face Pakistan in 2021 when their first-choice side went into Covid isolation, but did not play a game in the series. He has only played 28 List A games in his career, the most recent of them in May 2019.
(Cricinfo)
Tens of millions of people across the north-eastern US are in the path of a powerful storm bringing coastal flooding, power cuts, travel chaos and cancelled stadium events.
The so-called nor’easter is bringing “dangerous coastal flooding and beach conditions, strong winds and heavy rainfall” to areas including New York City and Boston on Saturday, the US National Weather Service (NWS) said.
States of emergency have been declared in New York and New Jersey, both of which faced a coastal deluge in some areas. Rain and strong winds are forecast from Virginia to Maine.
Ed Sheeran’s much-awaited Boston concert was among events called off due to the weather.
Residents on kayaks in a Beach Haven West, New Jersey, neighbourhood (BBC)The nor’easter caused widespread power cuts. More than 100,000 households, nearly all in the northeast US, have lost electricity, according to tracker PowerOutage.
The Federal Aviation Administration recommended air passengers check with airlines about their flight status. More than 2,400 flights have been delayed and another 1,199 grounded, according to FlightAware.
Saturday’s full moon is projected to worsen coastal flooding. Streets and homes were inundated with floodwater in the coastal New Jersey communities of Surf City and Manasquan on Saturday.
“I urge all New Jerseyans to take this storm seriously, stay alert and follow local guidance,” Governor Mikie Sherrill said.
NWS said in its alert: “Prepare immediately for significant inundation in low-lying areas near the shore, including roads underwater and impacts to homes and businesses.”
In New York, officials are warning of wind gusts of up to 55mph (86km/h) throughout the weekend, leading to downed trees and power lines
“Don’t travel if you don’t have to,” NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani told residents in a video message. “Do not drive or walk through floodwater.”
In the Boston area, the Red Sox moved the last game in their series against the Chicago Cubs to Sunday afternoon in Florida.
A professional football match between Red Bull New York and St Louis City SC was also cancelled.
(BBC)
US President Donald Trump has rejected an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping within a week
He told reporters at the White House that Tehran “want to make a deal where they open the Strait immediately because they’re losing so badly”.
In a post on Telegram, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi acknowledged Trump’s comments, but said Tehran would wait for an official response from mediators.
On Friday, Araghchi had told reporters at the UN in New York that an agreement could be reached “if the necessary conditions are met” and that these were contained in a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by the two countries in June.
The vital waterway through which around a fifth of the world’s gas and oil supply usually flows has been effectively closed since the outbreak of war in February.
“I’m rejecting their deal,” Trump said on Saturday, adding that the US already had “total control” of the strait, with “massive amounts of oil” passing through it.
“They want to make a deal, and I think that’s fine. I like making a deal, too. But that deal would not be acceptable,” he added.
Araghchi wrote that Trump “has made many good statements, as well as many contradictory ones, which unfortunately we hear frequently.”
He added that he would await the “definitive views” of mediators, and that Tehran “will make a decision based on that.”
On Friday the Wall Street Journal cited officials as saying Trump was sceptical that Iran would meet his demands and had told his staff that he saw a renewed bombing campaign as probable.
Iran responded to US and Israeli air strikes, beginning in late February, by attacking Israel and US bases in the Gulf and Arab Gulf allies of the US – as well as blocking the Strait of Hormuz. Its closure has caused wild fluctuations of energy prices.
The economic effects have also increased pressure on Trump to find a way of ending the conflict – particularly as the US heads towards Congressional elections in November.
(BBC)
Buttler out of Oval decider as Lawrence earns ODI call-up
Showers will occur in the Western, Eastern, Uva and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts.
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