Ahmedabad, May 25: Gujarat Titans skipper Shubman Gill described as a 'bitter pill to swallow' his side's 83-run defeat to the Chennai Super Kings in their final league match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at the Narendra Modi Stadium here on Sunday.

With this defeat, GT’s hopes of finishing among the top 2 in the points table are in serious jeopardy. The winner of the clash between Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings, on Monday, will move past them in the Standings, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru could push them down further into an Eliminator spot with a win over Lucknow Super Giants in the final league game of the season.

Analysing the match, Gill, who has been recently appointed as India's Test captain, said things got out of hand in the power-play in the first innings when CSK posted their joint-best total.

"The game pretty much went away from us in the power-play. We never really came back in the game; 230 is a big target. Teams that are already eliminated don't have anything to lose. We were not able to stay calm under pressure," he said in the post-match presentation on Sunday.

"It's very important to control runs in the middle overs. If you don't pick wickets, it's always going to be challenging. This one would be a hard pill to swallow for us. But on the bright side, we have two or three important games for us. Fortunately for me, going back to my hometown," added Gill, who hails from Chandigarh, where the Challenger 1 and Eliminator matches will be played at the New PCA Stadium in Mullanpur.

Although Gujarat Titans were one of the best teams in the first 2/3rd of the league phase, they have ended the season with two losses on the trot.

Throughout the 2025 season, GT have heavily relied on their firing top three of Sai Sudharsan, Gill and Jos Buttler which prompted many to ask the question, what would happen if GT were dealt with early wickets.

CSK became the first team to ask that question of the home side at the Narendra Modi Stadium, and the result will be a cause for concern for the 2022 champions heading into the playoffs.

To make matters worse, reliable English batter Jos Buttler will miss the playoffs as he has to report for national duty, opening up a gap in the top order. Buttler has scored 538 runs in 14 matches for GT in the league phase.

--IANS

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