Shubman Gill was pulled up by the on-field umpires during the first innings for it
Gujarat Titans might have won their fifth match of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 against Delhi Capitals on Saturday and climbed to the top of the table, but they made some interesting choices along the way.
In the first innings after captain Shubman Gill elected to bowl first, GT persisted with the frontline five of Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Arshad Khan, Rashid Khan and Ishant Sharma.
Frontline spinner R Sai Kishore stay put as the fielder in the sweltering Ahmedabad heat until the 19th over by the time the innings had prolonged for too long.
At the same time, GT coach Ashish Nehra decided to make his Impact Player substitution by sending in Sherfane Rutherford in for Ishant Sharma. This prompted the on-field umpires to pull up Gill and have a word with him over the delays.
Sai Kishore did take the ball, for the first time in the innings for the final over and gave away just nine runs as DC finished at 2023/8.
Former Chennai Super Kings batter Ambati Rayudu was confused with the decision made by GT as the conditions aided spinners.
“It was quite strange. Given the conditions – it was an afternoon game – you would expect the ball to grip a little bit, especially with the new ball when the seam is hard and slightly elevated. He should have bowled at least one over in the powerplay and definitely through the middle. He’s been their best spinner so far; he’s been bowling better than Rashid in this competition. Doesn’t make sense to me,” Rayudu said on ESPNCricinfo’s TimeOut show.
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Former South Africa wicketkeeper Mark Boucher had a possible answer as he felt that bowling to left-handers like Abishek Porel and Axar Patel might have also played a part in GT keeping their best spinner away from the ball. Kishore was carted for four sixes and two boundaries in the last game Lucknow Super Giants and primarily targeted by the left-handed Nicholas Pooran.
“Spooked by match-ups and perhaps what’s happened before. I think the last time we saw him bowl, [he was] put under the pump, but it was Pooran. And that’s why we’re all scratching our heads, going ‘why didn’t he give him a go?’ Especially when three of your topline seamers are all going at more than ten runs an over,” Boucher said.
The decision to stall his top spinner who could through his quota in quick time also cost Gill money as he was fined INR 12 lakh for slow over rate by the match referee.
“Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill has been fined after his team maintained a slow over-rate during Match No. 35 of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 against Delhi Capitals at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. As this was his team’s first offence of the season under Article 2.22 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct, which pertains to minimum over-rate offences, Gill was fined INR 12 lakhs,” an official release said.
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