Shubman Gill has again committed tremendous mayhem at Ahmedabad's beautiful Narendra Modi Stadium. Gill scored his third century in the 2023 season in the Qualifier 2 game against the five-time champion Mumbai Indians at the same location where he had hammered his first IPL century less than two weeks earlier. Along with solidifying his position in the competition for the Orange Cap, Gill joined Virat Kohli in an incredible IPL list with the knock.
When experts were polled at the beginning of the season to choose which player may surpass Kohli's mark for the most runs in an IPL season, they unanimously selected Gill. He had a strong resume going into the season, with hundreds in Test, T20I, and an ODI double-hundred, leading many to believe that the teenager would succeed Virat Kohli.
In the game on Friday against the Mumbai Indians, Gill maintained his outstanding performance. The Gujarat Titans opener notched a 49-ball century that single-handedly propelled the home team's score past the 150-run threshold in the 15th over, capitalizing on the favorable home conditions in Ahmedabad, where he has already scored over 500 runs this season, the only ever batter to reach the mark at a specific venue.
In the wake of Kohli's record-breaking 2016 performance, in which he blasted four tonnes, Gill became the second Indian to achieve three or more centuries in a single season. With four centuries in the 2022 season, he is tied for third on the record with Jos Buttler.
After Kohli's total of 973 runs in 2016, Gill also became the second Indian batsman to achieve 800 or more runs in a single season. Overall, he comes in third on the list, trailing only Buttler (863 runs in 2016).
The three-figure score also assisted Gill in maintaining his top spot on the Orange Cap list. He only needed nine runs to defeat Faf du Plessis, the captain of the RCB, who had scored 730 runs for the season.
In the crucial home game, Gill and Wriddhiman Saha were given the opportunity to bat first. They put together another fifty-run opening partnership before Piyush Chawla removed the veteran batsman with the help of an amazing catch by wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan.
The 23-year-old gradually found his rhythm with sixes from Chawla and Kumar Kartikeya, which enabled him to reach fifty before taking the 5/5 bowler Akash Madhwal apart. Prior to taking down veteran spinner Chawla for two sixes and a boundary, Gill blasted Chawla for three sixes in a 21-run over.
Gill's ultimate score of 129 off 60 in the 17th over, which surpassed Shane Watson's 117 for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2018 final versus SRH, is now the highest score by a batter in an IPL playoff match.
