On a difficult wicket where batsmen could not accelerate easily, he made it look easy.
Sherfane Rutherford, a Gujarat Titans recruit who plays for Desert Vipers in the ILT20, showed his form ahead of IPL 2025 with a quickfire 40 against Gulf Giants.
The West Indies batsman, who was released by the Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, was bought by Gujarat Titans for INR 2.6 million.
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Rutherford’s heroic deeds under pressure
In the match against the Gulf Giants, Sherfane Rutherford came in to bat at number 6 during the second innings when his team was struggling at 66/4 in 12.2 overs, needing 54 runs off 46 balls.
On a difficult wicket where batsmen could not easily accelerate, Rutherford made it look easy.
He scored a quick 40 off just 18 balls, hitting three fours and three sixes at a strike rate of 222.22, and led his team to a comfortable victory. This performance will make his IPL franchise Gujarat Titans proud as he is expected to play an important role as a middle-order batsman in the upcoming season.
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Desert Vipers secure victory on 6 wickets with 14 balls to spare
Desert Vipers won the toss and elected to bowl, holding Gulf Giants to a modest 119/9, with James Vince’s fighting knock of 76* off 62 balls. For Desert Vipers, Lockie Ferguson picked 3 wickets.
Chasing 120, the Vipers got off to a bad start when Fakhar Zaman and Dan Lawrence were dismissed in the first two overs. Sam Curran (42* off 43) steadied the innings with an important partnership alongside Alex Hales, who got out after a 49-run stand.
Sherfane Rutherford then struck a winning blow, shooting 40* off just 18 balls to guide his team to a comfortable 6-wicket win with 14 balls to spare.
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