Credit: X
Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper Shubman Gill has showered praise on Vyshak Vijaykumar for his economical bowling in the fifth Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 encounter played at the Narendra Modi Stadium. In the contest between GT and Punjab Kings (PBKS), the former won the toss and elected to field first. Punjab batted aggressively and tasked the home side to follow a mammoth target of 244. PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer played the best knock of his IPL career, with his unbeaten 97 off just 42. Along with Shreyas, Punjab also got the innings of Priyansh Arya and Shashank Singh, who contributed with the rapid innings of 47 (23) and unbeaten 44 (16) respectively.
Pursuing the huge target, GT also started well and looked steady in the hunt. Until the 14th over, GT were in the state to chase down the total. With 62 required off the last four overs of the game, Vyshak was brought into the attack to bowl his second over. The pacer showed a stellar level of discipline as he splurged only five runs in the next six deliveries. Vyshak’s thrifty over played a crucial role in Gujarat’s 11-run defeat. Vyashak played the match as an Impact Player, replacing opener Priyansh Arya. Following his team’s loss, Gill accepted that PBKS pacer's three overs neutralised GT’s chances in the game.
"I think those three overs in the middle, I think we scored around 18 runs. So, I think that, and I think our first three overs, we didn't score that many runs [GT scored 17]. So I think those six overs where we scored around 30-40 runs cost us the game. Apart from that, many positives for us today, a good start to the tournament, I'd say," remarked Gill.
GT to host Mumbai Indians on March 29 in IPL
Gujarat’s next clash will be against Mumbai Indians (MI) on March 29 in Ahmedabad. MI skipper Hardik Pandya is highly likely to be in the playing XI for the crucial contest against his former team. Before the MI challenge, GT skipper Gill will want his bowlers to be impactful in pressure situations.
Against PBKS, Gujarat’s bowling attack conceded 135 runs in the last eight overs of the innings. Mohammed Siraj, who was seen in GT colours for the first time, looked completely out of rhythm as batters hammered him mercilessly. In his four-over spell, he gave away 54 runs without picking up any wickets.
