Shubman Gill takes a stunning catch to dismiss Shivam Dube
Shivam Dube was looking dangerous with 47 off 17 balls, when Gill took the catch
GT thrashed CSK by 89 runs to seal a place in Qualifier 1
Gujarat Titans (GT) defeated Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 89 runs in their last league match to secure a spot in Qualifier 1 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday, May 21.
With this win, they have moved on to 18 points from 14 matches, separated only by NRR from table-toppers RCB. Now, the defending champions and SRH will fight for the remaining place in Qualifier 1.
GT's skipper Shubman Gill played an instrumental role in his team's massive win over the former five-time champions. First, he shone with the bat by smashing a 23-ball half-century to give the Titans a smashing 125-run opening stand with Orange Cap holder - Sai Sudharsan (84).
This was their 10th century stand in the IPL, most by any pair in the IPL, equaling the record of Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli (63) in 17 fewer innings. Gill was eventually dismissed by Spencer Johnson for 64 off 37 balls, but he blasted seven fours and three sixes before getting out.
Not only with the bat, but Gill was a live wire in the field too, firing a scintillating direct hit from mid-off to send back Kartik Sharma for 17. Not only that, when CSK's hard-hitting all-rounder, Shivam Dubey, was in his full pomp and was taking GT bowlers to cleaners, Gill took a spectacular backward-running catch to dismiss him for 47 off just 17 balls.
This brilliance from Gill turned out to be the final nail in the match for CSK as they soon after that they bundled for 140 in 13.2 overs in the chase of 230. Watch the match-changing moment here:
With this crushing 89-run defeat, CSK are knocked out of IPL 2026 as they managed to get to only 12 points from their 14 matches. They had a fair chance of making the playoffs by winning two of their last three matches, but they lost all three, which proved a sad end to their spirited campaign.
