Dominant Gujarat Titans surge to the top with big win over SRH

Sunrisers Hyderabad squandered a golden opportunity to move to the top of the points table, collapsing to their lowest-ever IPL total of 86 in pursuit of 169 in Ahmedabad. After opting to bowl first, SRH did well to restrict Gujarat Titans to 168/5 from their 20 overs, despite half-centuries from Sai Sudharsan and Washington Sundar. While the bowlers played their part, the batters failed to deliver. Reduced to 34/4 inside the PowerPlay thanks to a fiery opening burst from Kagiso Rabada, SRH were always playing catch-up thereafter. For the Titans, the emphatic 82-run victory provided a significant boost to their net run rate and marked their fifth consecutive win, lifting them to the top of the standings.

Brief scores: Gujarat Titans 168/5 in 20 overs (Sai Sudharsan 61 off 44, Washington Sundar 50 off 33; Praful Hinge 2-17, Pat Cummins 1-20) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad 86 all out in 14.5 overs (Kagiso Rabada 3-28, Jason Holder 3-20, Prasidh Krishna 2-23) by 82 runs

On a wicket that demanded caution early on, Shubman Gill failed to capitalise on an early reprieve, chipping a Praful Hinge delivery straight to mid-on to depart for just five. At the other end, Pat Cummins kept things tight with two disciplined Powerplay overs. Hinge then persuaded his captain to opt for a late caught-behind review against Jos Buttler, and the decision paid off as the hosts slumped to 26/2 in the final over of the Powerplay. A brief cameo from Nishant Sindhu helped push the score to a respectable 34/2 by the end of six overs.

Sudharsan-Washington lift Titans

Sindhu's burst of aggression was short-lived, despite furthering the charge with a six and a four off the expensive Nitish Reddy. Cummins eventually ended the enterprising knock in the 10th over, leaving the Titans at 68/3 at the halfway stage. Having settled in, Sai Sudharsan began to open up, accelerating smoothly with two sixes en route to a composed half-century off 38 deliveries. However, Sakib broke the crucial 60-run partnership by dismissing the well-set batter. Washington Sundar carried the momentum forward, helping GT recover strongly in the death overs. An expensive penultimate over from Eshan Malinga allowed the Titans to surge past the 150-run mark. Washington brought up his fifty in the final over, reaching the milestone off 32 balls. GT's impressive recovery in the second half yielded 100 runs, giving their bowlers a competitive total to defend.

Rabada stunts SRH's early tendencies

SRH's downfall began in the Powerplay with a wicket-maiden upfront from Mohd. Siraj, who handed a four-ball duck to Travis Head. Abhishek Sharma welcomed Rabada into the attack with a six but the South African had the last laugh. Two deliveries later, the Indian opener dragged an inside edge back onto his stumps to depart for six. Ishan Kishan also got going with a maximum but Rabada returned in the following over to have him nicking behind. In the final Powerplay over, Smaran Ravichandran lofted one straight down the throat of mid-off to leave the visitors staring down the barrel at 34/4.

Holder, Prasidh complete the formalities

Salil Arora halted the freefall and picked a few boundaries off SRH's pacers to briefly gain momentum. Even then, SRH could only muster 54/4 by the ninth over. Prasidh then broke through in the 10th, getting Arora to edge behind. Holder made it a double-whammy for SRH, dismissing Heinrich Klaasen for just 14 with a short ball. Three balls later, a tumbling catch from Washington saw the end of Nitish Reddy, SRH's last recognised batter. Cummins inflicted some late damage with the bat but the defeat was inevitable. He became Prasidh's second victim. Rashid finally joined the party, dismissing Hinge to skittle SRH for 86.

SRH head to Chennai next for their Monday fixture against CSK, whereas Titans are headed eastwards to the Eden Gardens, where they face KKR on Saturday.