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Gujarat Titans (GT) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) locked horns at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad in match number 62 of IPL 2023 on Monday, May 15.
The match proved to be a one-sided affair, with defending champions GT securing a comfortable 34-run victory.
SRH won the toss and decided to field first. Opening batter Shubman Gill starred with the bat yet again for Gujarat, scoring his maiden IPL ton. He scored 101 off 58 balls, helping his team reach an impressive 188-run total.
Sai Sudharsan also chipped in with a valuable contribution, mustering 47 runs. For Hyderabad, Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the pick of the bowlers as he registered a stunning five-wicket haul.
SRH batters failed to deliver in the chase. Heinrich Klaasen, with his 64-run knock, was the only saving grace as the side finished 154/9 in 20 overs, suffering a heartbreaking loss.
With the comprehensive victory, GT became the first team to officially qualify for the playoffs. They are currently placed at the top of the points table with nine wins from 13 matches.
SRH, on the other hand, have been eliminated from the race to the playoffs. They have won just four of their 12 outings so far and languish in the penultimate position in the standings.
On that note, let's look at three instances that created a buzz during the GT vs SRH match.
#1 Noor Ahmad walking off the field after being struck by a brutal shot from Heinrich Klaasen
Noor Ahmad bowled the 16th over of Hyderabad's run chase. On the fifth ball of the over, Heinrich Klaasen slapped one straight down the ground with a lot of force.
Ahmad didn't have any time to react and took a blow. The ball hit his ankle, and the spinner visibly looked in a lot of pain. He had to be taken off the field following the incident and couldn't complete his over.
The Afghan spinner has done well for the Gujarat-based side and Hardik Pandya and Co. would hope that the player isn't ruled out of the all-important playoffs because of injury.
#2 Abdul Samad's sharp catch to dismiss Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill had put GT in a commanding position with his stellar knock. However, the batter had to walk back soon after his century. He was dismissed in the 20th over of the innings.
The right-handed batter struck a fine cover drive off Bhuvneshwar Kumar's bowling. While he got a decent connection, he hit it straight towards Abdul Samad, who was stationed at extra cover.
Samad dived to his left and completed a wonderful low catch to end Gill's superb innings. While the ball was traveling very quickly, the fielder did an excellent job to collect the ball cleanly.
#3 SRH completing a team hat-trick in the 20th over
The final over of GT's innings proved to be chaotic. While Shubman Gill perished on the very first ball, Rashid Khal also bagged a golden duck and got out on the second delivery of the over.
The bowling all-rounder attempted to heave it down the ground, but could only manage to get an outside edge. Heinrich Klaasen completed a simple catch as Bhuvneshwar took two back-to-back wickets.
The very next ball also fetched a wicket for the SRH side as Noor Ahmad was run out. Ahmad was beaten off a slower ball. He tried sneaking a single but was ultimately found short of his crease when Bhuvneshwar managed a direct hit at the bowler's end.
It is with mentioning that GT lost four wickets in the over as Mohammed Shami also fell on the penultimate delivery.
