Shubman Gill slammed a sensational 129 off 60 balls, his third century of IPL 2023, powering Gujarat Titans to a mammoth 233/3 against Mumbai Indians in the Qualifier 2 match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. His first 30 balls saw him make 48 runs, before switching gears in thrilling fashion to slam 79 runs in his next 30 balls. In this process, he became the highest run-getter of this IPL so far, making 851 runs in 16 innings at an average of 60.78 and strike rate of 156.43.

Gill’s whirlwind knock made him only the second Indian batter after Virat Kohli (2016) and overall fourth in the history, after Jos Buttler (2022) and David Warner (2016), to score more than 800 runs in an IPL season. Gill also surpassed Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 62-ball 124 to record the highest individual score this season, with Mumbai Indians being on the receiving end on both the occasions.

In addition, Gill’s 129 bettered Virender Sehwag’s 122 against Chennai Super Kings in the 2014 season as the highest score for a batter in the IPL playoffs.

Shubman Gill had also some luck on his side. He was dropped on 30 by Tim David, which proved to be a very costly drop as he made 99 runs off 40 balls post that.

Overall, Gill smashed an overall seven fours and 10 sixes in his breathtaking knock. He added 138 runs for the second wicket with B Sai Sudharsan, who happily played second fiddle with a 31-ball 43 before he was retired out.

Gill hit three sixes off Mumbai Indians’ hero of the last game, Akash Madhwal (1/53), in the 12th over to cross the 800-run mark, continuing his form to single-handedly lead Gujarat Titans’ charge.

He brought up his fifty off 32 balls with two sixes and three fours and unleashed a flurry of sixes against seamers and spinners alike at the nearly-packed Narendra Modi Stadium here. (With Agency Inputs)