Shubman Gill Salutes Armed Forces as Gujarat Titans Storm into IPL 2025 Playoffs

May 19, 2025 : Gujarat Titans (GT) captain Shubman Gill paid a heartfelt tribute to the Indian Armed Forces after his team secured a thumping 10-wicket victory over Delhi Capitals (DC), ensuring GT’s place in the IPL 2025 playoffs.

The tournament had faced a temporary suspension on May 9 due to escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, but resumed on Saturday. Following the Titans’ dominant performance on Sunday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Gill took to Instagram to express gratitude to those who continued serving the nation during the unrest:

“Cricket returns, but the real heroes never left their post. Heartfelt gratitude to our armed forces. Jai Hind.”

The match saw Gill and Sai Sudharsan put together a record 205-run unbeaten stand, chasing down Delhi’s 199/3 with an over to spare. Gill dazzled with 93 off 53 balls*, including three fours and seven sixes, maintaining a strike rate of 175+. Sudharsan was equally impressive, hammering 108 off 61 balls* with 12 fours and four sixes, earning him the Player of the Match award.

Gill now ranks second in the Orange Cap leaderboard with 601 runs in 12 innings, boasting a remarkable average of 60.10 and a strike rate of 155.69, including six half-centuries.

Earlier, Delhi opted to bat first. Despite losing Faf du Plessis early, a 90-run partnership between KL Rahul and Abishek Porel (30 off 19), and quickfire contributions from Axar Patel (25 off 16) and *Tristan Stubbs (21 off 10)**, helped DC reach 199/3.

GT’s bowlers Sai Kishore, Prasidh Krishna, and Arshad Khan took a wicket each.

With this emphatic win, Gujarat Titans move to second place on the points table with 18 points (9 wins, 3 losses). Delhi Capitals sit in fifth place with 13 points, including six wins, five losses, and one no-result.