Gujarat Titans overwhelm Sunrisers Hyderabad, climb to second place in IPL points table

GT became the third team with 14 points, second only to Mumbai Indians (MI) on net run-rate, having also played one game less. Meanwhile, a big loss left SRH on the brink of elimination.

It was yet another victory set-up by GT's Top-3 of captain Shubman Gill (76 off 38), Sai Sudharsan (48 off 23), and Jos Buttler (64 off 37). The bowling unit, once again led by Prasidh Krishna (2/19 in four overs), then secured the win.

After being put in to bat by SRH skipper Pat Cummins, Gill and Sudharsan put on yet another stellar show in the powerplay, taking it a notch higher this time. Gill got things going with a six off Mohd. Shami in the opening over, and there was no looking back after that.

Sudharsan scored 48 runs off just 23 deliveries, in an innings which included nine fours, all of them coming in just two separate overs.

The left-handed opener hit Shami for five boundaries in the third over, with runs coming in all directions of the park, before smashing four boundaries off Harshal Patel in the fifth over. Amidst that, Gill went after the likes of Cummins and Jaydev Unadkat, and GT recorded their best-ever powerplay score (82/0) in IPL.

Sudharsan nicked one behind off Zeeshan Ansari’s bowling, thus ending yet another highly successful stand (87 runs) for the season’s most successful opening pair. Gill and another player-in-form, Jos Buttler, kept up the momentum. The captain got to his fifth fifty this season off just 25 deliveries, and GT rocketed along to 120/1 after 10 overs.

Gill, who played the gaps with ease and timed the ball to perfection, departed for a glorious 76(38), including 10 fours and two sixes. The platform was set for a big finish with GT 162/2 and five overs yet to play.

Buttler, dropped by Cummins on 22 off a skier, made SRH pay with a 37-ball 64 with Cummins making amends with his wicket. It was Buttler’s fourth consecutive 40+ score in four innings (three half-centuries) and his first dismissal in that time.

Jaydev Unadkat picked three wickets in an eventful final over, but GT’s top-3 once again grabbed the headlines as they put on 224/6.

In response, Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma gave SRH the start they needed in a chase this big, smashing their way to 45/0 after four overs, with Sharma doing the bulk of the fast scoring. In a huge match-turning moment in the next over, Rashid Khan grabbed one of the catches of the season in the deep as Prasidh Krishna continued his wicket-taking ways with Head's dismissal.

Despite Sharma still going along at a brisk pace, GT were able to put the brakes on the scoring rate. Krishna took a well-judged catch at third man with Ishan Kishan walking back (13 off 17) and Gerald Coetzee striking on GT debut.

With 140 needed off 10 overs, Sharma took control of SRH's charge. He brought up his fifty off 28 deliveries, before upping the ante on his way to 74* off 40.

GT then struck the decisive blows to SRH's chase with Mohd. Siraj holding onto a fine high catch to send back Sharma off Ishant Sharma's bowling, before Krishna bagged his second wicket to dismiss Klaasen for 23(18).

Siraj then struck twice in his final over with the key wickets of Aniket Verma and Kamindu Mendis, before GT cruised towards a comfortable 38-run win despite brisk cameos from Nitish Reddy and Cummins.

(With inputs from IPL website)