Sai Sudharsan, one of GT’s most consistent performers since joining the team in 2022, had an impressive 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, scoring 527 runs in 12 matches. In the ongoing 2025 edition, Sai Sudharsan has already amassed 186 runs in three matches. Gujarat Titans batter Sai Sudarsan has underlined the importance of hunger and dedication in contributing to team success. He stressed that his focus remains on helping the team win, regardless of past performance.
Sai Sudharsan, one of GT’s most consistent performers since joining the team in 2022, had an impressive 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, scoring 527 runs in 12 matches. In the ongoing 2025 edition, he has already amassed 759 runs until his team got eliminated in the Eliminator vs Mumbai Indians
Sai Sudharsan fights a lone battle against MI
Gujarat Titans opener Sai Sudharsan continued his sensational form in the IPL 2025 season, notching up yet another milestone during the Eliminator clash against Mumbai Indians on Friday. The 23-year-old left-hander Sai Sudharsan became the youngest batter in IPL history to score 700 runs in a single season, surpassing his teammate Shubman Gill’s previous record.
Sai Sudharsan’s fluent 80 off 51 balls wasn’t enough to take Gujarat past Mumbai in a high-scoring contest, but it did take his season tally to an impressive 759 runs. He broke Gill’s mark by reaching the 700-run milestone at 23 years and 227 days-30 days younger than when Gill achieved the feat in 2023. Sai Sudharsan is now only the fifth batter in the history of the tournament to score 750 or more runs in a season, joining Virat Kohli (973 runs in 2016), Shubman Gill (890 in 2023), Jos Buttler (863 in 2022), and David Warner (848 in 2016).
The left-hander has been a pillar at the top of the order for Gujarat Titans throughout the season. With 759 runs at an average of 55.4, Sudharsan has registered five half-centuries and a match-winning hundred-an unbeaten 108 against Delhi Capitals. Whether building partnerships or anchoring the innings under pressure, Sai Sudharsan’s composure and range of strokes have stood out. His form has been a key factor in Gujarat’s strong campaign, even though their journey ended in the Eliminator.
With this performance, Sai Sudharsan became the ninth batter to score 700 or more runs in a single IPL season. His consistency and ability to score across venues and attacks have drawn comparisons with some of the best top-order performances the league has seen.
Despite Sudharsan’s efforts, Gujarat Titans fell short in their chase of Mumbai Indians’ 228. Former skipper Rohit Sharma played a commanding hand with 81 off 50 balls, while Suryakumar Yadav chipped in with 33 as MI posted a strong total. Gujarat eventually lost the match by 20 runs.
Aakash Chopra, the ex-Indian cricketer, lauded Sai Sudharsan for his display, even though Gujarat Titans were defeated by Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2025 Eliminator. Chopra pointed out that Sudharsan has been more consistent than some of the biggest names in IPL playoffs, including Virat Kohli.
Aakash Chopra lauds rising star Sai Sudharsan for his incredible stint in IPL 2025
Former India player Aakash Chopra has lauded Sai Sudharsan for playing a fighting knock in the Gujarat Titans’ (GT) IPL 2025 Eliminator loss against the Mumbai Indians (MI). He noted that the youngster has been more consistent than Virat Kohli in IPL playoff games.
MI set GT a 229-run target in the second playoff game of IPL 2025 in New Chandigarh on Friday, May 30. Although Sudharsan scored 80 runs off 49 deliveries in the chase, his knock went in vain as the IPL 2022 champions were restricted to 208/6, losing the game by 20 runs to bow out of the tournament.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel ‘Aakash Chopra,’ the former India opener praised Sai Sudharsan for making a seemingly impossible target look achievable, highlighting that the youngster has been more consistent than greats like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the playoffs.
“Piyush Chawla and I were on the show, and we were asked what percent chance we would give to Mumbai. Chawla said 95 percent, and I said he was right as 228 runs weren’t going to be chased. When Shubman Gill got out, we said the chase won’t happen at all. However, after that, Sai Sudharsan. Sai is incredible,” Chopra said
“At such a young age, he has already scored a lot of runs in the playoffs. Rohit Sharma might have scored more runs than him because he has played a lot more. Virat Kohli’s performance average-wise is also not that good in the playoffs, and this small kid is doing different things. The next generation has arrived in the IPL,” he added.
Sai Sudharsan had played only two IPL playoff games previously. The left-handed batter retired out for a 31-ball 43 in the Gujarat Titans’ IPL 2023 Qualifier 2 win against the Mumbai Indians. He smashed a 47-ball 96, albeit in a losing cause, against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the same edition’s final.
In the same video, Aakash Chopra opined that Sai Sudharsan has been the best batter in IPL 2025.
“Of course, he has the Orange Cap on his head, but he is the best batter in the league by a country mile. There is no one close to him. His playing style is so beautiful that you just watch and behold. You say that even if he is hitting me, I would clap because the shots were so skillful,” he said.
The cricketer-turned-commentator added that the Tamil Nadu batter scores his runs at a brisk pace despite playing authentic cricketing shots.
“Silken touches, and he is still scoring at the rate of knots. He is running at a strike rate of 150 to 200. The asking rate was totally in control, and it didn’t seem like he was taking any risks. I felt he might score a century,” Chopra observed.
Sai Sudharsan is the current Orange Cap holder in IPL 2025. The Gujarat Titans opener has amassed 759 runs at a strike rate of 156.17 in 15 innings this season. The most consistent batter in IPL over the years Sai Sudharsan was rewarded for his insane consistency as he got his name in the Indian test squad for England Tour in 2025. This proves that Sai Sudharsan’s growth, humility, and focus on team-first cricket have made him one of the standout young talents in IPL 2025.
Mumbai Indians now move on to face Punjab Kings in Qualifier 2, to be played in Ahmedabad on June 1. Gujarat Titans exit the tournament, but Sai Sudharsan’s season will be remembered as one of the finest individual campaigns in IPL history.
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