GT’s Sai Sudharsan breaks the record for the highest score by an uncapped player in an IPL final

Gujarat Titans Sai Sudharshan during a training session. File | Photo Credit: Vijay Soneji

21-year-old Sai Sudharsan of Gujarat Titans played a brilliant innings to get the highest score by an uncapped player in the history of the Indian Premier League final. Mr. Sudharsan achieved this feat in the final match of IPL 2023 against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) here at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on May 29 where he played a sensational innings of 96 off just 47 balls .

Mr. Sudharsan became the second youngest batter to score a half-century in an IPL final. At the age of 21 years and 226 days, Mr. Sudharsan achieved this feat in the final match of IPL 2023 against CSK. He broke the record of Manan Vohra, who scored a fifty in the final IPL 2014, at the age of 20 years and 318 days.

GT acquired Sudharsan for `20 lakh in the IPL 2022 auction. Coming into the match, Sai Sudharsan’s sensational knock of 96 and Wriddhiman Saha’s fine fifty propelled Gujarat Titans (GT) to 214/4 against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the final of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) ) 2023 here at the Narendra Modi Stadium on May 29.

Mr. Sudharsan top-scored for Gujarat with a sensational 96 off 47 deliveries while Saha played a fine knock of 54 off 39 balls. For CSK, Matheesha Pathirana took two while Deepak Chahar and Ravindra Jadeja scalped one wicket each. After batting first, Gujarat Titans got off to the best of starts with their openers Shubman Gill and Wriddhiman Saha thrashing the CSK bowlers all over the ground.

The Gujarat openers rotated the strike brilliantly, not allowing the CSK bowlers to settle down while hitting the loose balls on offer. CSK’s experienced all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja gave his team a major breakthrough when he dismissed star batter Gill for 39 off 20 balls in the seventh over of the game. However, Saha showed great poise and determination as he thrashed the CSK bowlers regularly.

Left-handed batter Sai Sudharsan came out to bat. The pair of Saha and Sudharsan took their team’s target past the 100-run mark, putting up a good partnership. Saha continued his blistering form as he brought up his half-century in 36 balls. Saha’s innings at the crease was cut short when he was sent packing by Deepak Chahar after 54 runs. GT captain and right-handed batter Hardik Pandya came out to bat.

opened by Mr. Sudharsan puts his hands up and hits Maheesh Theekshana for two big sixes in the 15th over of the game. The young prodigy Sudharsan slammed a sensational half-century off 33 balls and kept the scoreboard afloat for Gujarat. Sudharsan keeps the momentum going for Gujarat Titans as he hits boundaries at regular intervals. Sudharsan single-handedly smashed Tushar Deshpande for 20 runs with the help of three boundaries and a maximum in the 17th over. Pandya and Sudharsan stitched a fifty run partnership stand in just 23 balls.

Mr. Pandya and Mr. Sudharsan bowled Deshpande for 18 runs and guided their team past the 200-run mark. The CSK bowlers had no answer for killing Mr. Sudharsan as the batter keeps hitting each bower across the ground. The last time, Mr. shot. Sudharsan hit two back-to-back sixes, however, lost his wicket to Matheesha Pathirana. Mr. Sudharsan was 4 runs short of making his maiden IPL century.

Then Rashid Khan came out to bat. Pathirana then delivered a superb delivery and took the wicket of Rashid Khan on the last ball of the final over to restrict GT to 214/4 in 20 overs.