On Friday, Shubman Gill played one of the finest innings in the history of the IPL playoffs. He smashed a magnificent century against the Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2, breaking several records in the process. Thanks to Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s brilliant knock of 96 runs and Donovan Ferreira’s explosive batting in the final overs, the Rajasthan Royals had posted a mammoth total of 214/6.
Chasing this daunting target, Gill stepped out to bat in the Gujarat Titans’ biggest match of the season and played a captain’s innings that will be remembered for a long time to come. The Gujarat Titans captain completed his century in just 47 balls, which is:
| The fastest century in the history of the IPL playoffs |
| The fastest century ever scored by any Gujarat Titans batsman |
| The first century scored by a captain in the history of the IPL playoffs |
Gill also Became the First Fatsman to Score More Than one Century in the IPL Playoffs
Gill also became the first batsman to score more than one century in the IPL playoffs, adding another historic milestone to his growing IPL legacy. This also marked his fifth IPL century overall.
The magnificent right-handed batsman dominated the Rajasthan bowling attack right from the start, displaying impeccable timing alongside controlled aggression. His innings featured 15 fours and three sixes before Jofra Archer finally dismissed him LBW following a brilliant knock of 104 runs off 53 balls.
Interestingly, this breakthrough by Archer sparked a debate as to whether Rajasthan had waited too long to bring their premier bowler back into the attack, given that Gill had already inflicted significant damage on the team by that point.
However, Gill was not alone in this onslaught of runs. Sai Sudharsan, too, maintained his extraordinary consistency, and together they forged the highest partnership in the history of the IPL playoffs.
Their unbroken 160-run partnership broke the record held by the famous 159-run stand between Michael Hussey and Murali Vijay, playing for Chennai Super Kings against Royal Challengers Bangalore, during the 2011 IPL final.
Also Read: Beyond Boundaries: How Vaibhav Suryavanshi Proved He Is Far More Than Just a Six-Hitter
