Gill 84 lifts Gujarat into top two
- Gujarat Titans crushed Rajasthan Royals by 77 runs in Jaipur on May 9, with Shubman Gill’s 84 setting up 229 for 4 and second place. - Rashid Khan then broke the chase with 4 for 33 as Rajasthan folded for 152, turning a live contest into Gujarat’s fourth straight win. - Finishing top two matters in the IPL — it gives Gujarat a much easier playoff route if this surge holds.
IPL standings got a real shake-up on May 9. Gujarat Titans didn’t just beat Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur — they flattened them, won by 77 runs, and jumped into second place with their fourth straight victory. The headline number was Shubman Gill’s 84, but the bigger point is that Gujarat now look like a team peaking at exactly the right time. ### What actually happened in Jaipur? Gujarat batted first and put up 229 for 4, which is the kind of total that makes the chase feel stressful from ball one. Gill made 84, Sai Sudharsan added 55, and Gujarat’s innings never really stalled. Rajasthan ended on 152 all out, so the margin wasn’t cosmetic — this was a proper blowout in a game between teams fighting near the top of the table. (iplt20.com) ### Why does Gill’s 84 matter so much? Because it was the innings that gave Gujarat shape. Gill didn’t just hit a flashy cameo and leave — he anchored the innings, let others bat around him, and made sure Gujarat turned a good start into a huge score. In T20, that middle phase often decides whether a team lands around 190 or pushes past 220. Gujarat got the bigger version. (iplt20.com) ### Was this only about the batting? Not even close. Rajasthan were still in the chase early enough to imagine a scare. Then Rashid Khan basically snapped the game in half. He finished with 4 for 33, took the player-of-the-match award, and removed the sense that Rajasthan could keep trading blows. Once Gujarat’s spinners and change bowlers got control, the chase collapsed fast. (iplt20.com) ### Why is second place such a big deal? Because the IPL playoff format rewards the top two hard. Finish first or second, and you get two shots to reach the final instead of one. Lose Qualifier 1, and you still stay alive. Finish third or fourth, and one bad night ends your season. So Gujarat didn’t just collect points here — they improved their path through the knockout stage in a very practical way. (espncricinfo.com) ### How hot is Gujarat right now? Pretty hot. This was their fourth straight win, which matters more than a single jump in the table. Streaks late in an IPL season usually mean roles are settled, the batting order makes sense, and the bowling plans are landing under pressure. Gujarat suddenly look less like a team hoping to qualify and more like one that other contenders would rather avoid. (espncricinfo.com) ### What went wrong for Rajasthan? The simple answer is that they let the game get away in both innings. Gujarat’s top order scored too freely, then Rajasthan couldn’t sustain the chase once wickets started falling. A 77-run defeat at this stage is rough because net run rate can become a tiebreaker, and heavy losses leave a mark there too. (espncricinfo.com) ### Does this make Gujarat a real title threat? Yes — and that’s the bigger story hiding behind one match result. Gill is scoring, Sudharsan is supporting him, and Rashid looks dangerous again. That’s basically the playoff recipe: top-order control plus a bowler who can break games open in the middle overs. Gujarat still have work left, but second place now feels earned, not accidental. (iplt20.com) ### Bottom line? Gill’s 84 was the platform, Rashid’s spell was the hammer, and the standings moved for a reason. Gujarat didn’t just win a game on May 9 — they gave themselves the kind of playoff route that can decide an IPL season. (iplt20.com)
