Despite suffering one of the heaviest defeats in their IPL history, the Gujarat Titans (GT) found a silver lining in their 33-run loss to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Thursday. While the result dented their chances of finishing in the top two, it offered a much-needed opportunity for their middle-order to get some time at the crease—an aspect that had remained largely untested throughout the season.
GT’s top-order, comprising Shubman Gill, B Sai Sudharsan, and Jos Buttler, has been the most dominant in IPL 2025, accounting for nearly 77% of the team’s total runs. With their openers topping the run charts and the No. 3 not far behind, the middle-order had little chance to make meaningful contributions, often entering only in the final overs under immense pressure.
Before Thursday’s game, GT had the lowest average for the middle-order (positions 4 to 7) in the league but boasted the highest strike rate in that segment—a sign of their effectiveness in short bursts rather than sustained innings.
With the playoffs around the corner and Buttler set to miss the knockouts, GT were in urgent need of seeing what their middle order could deliver under pressure. Ironically, the early dismissals of the top three against LSG provided just that window.
Chasing a massive 236, GT were reduced to 85 for 3 by the 10th over, allowing their No. 5 batter, M Shahrukh Khan, to come in significantly earlier than he had all season. He partnered with Sherfane Rutherford when the required rate was nearly 14 an over.
For Shahrukh, the innings was an important moment. Known more for his brute power and auction hype—having fetched INR 34.65 crore over five seasons—his role in the IPL has often been limited to finishing games with little time to build an innings. This time, however, he had a brief but meaningful opportunity to showcase the other side of his game.
He began cautiously, playing a few technically sound strokes, prompting memories of his early cricketing days in Chennai when he was praised for his classical style rather than power hitting. But it wasn’t long before his more familiar explosive game surfaced. He hit Akash Singh over backward point, lofted one straight back past the bowler with sheer force, and cleared the ropes despite not timing one cleanly—all reminders of his raw six-hitting ability.
Rutherford, too, rose to the occasion, playing some audacious shots that kept GT in the hunt. His reverse-sweep and flicked sixes helped narrow the equation to 54 needed from the last four overs. At that stage, GT’s win probability had climbed from below 4% at Buttler’s dismissal to 42%. “After the first three wickets, our middle order batted really well and brought the game on course,” said Sai Sudharsan during the post-match press conference. “From there, having four overs and 54 runs to get, I think any other day we would have got those runs for the team.”
Though GT fell short, they still registered their seventh 200-plus total of the season, more than any other team. This time, it was not just their top order but the middle-order batters who contributed significantly.
The loss may have hurt their position in the standings, but for the Gujarat Titans, the performance of the middle order provided timely reassurance ahead of the playoffs. It was a reminder that, come crunch time, they may yet have depth and power beyond their much-lauded top three.
