Gujarat Titans Dominate Sunrisers Hyderabad with a Seven-Wicket Victory

Gujarat Titans Triumph Over Sunrisers Hyderabad

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India] - April 6: A stellar performance from skipper Shubman Gill, alongside Washington Sundar and Sherfane Rutherford, coupled with a remarkable four-wicket haul by Mohammed Siraj, propelled the Gujarat Titans (GT) to a convincing seven-wicket victory against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Sunday.

GT began their chase of 153 runs on a shaky note, losing two wickets for just 16 runs. However, a brilliant partnership worth 90 runs between Gill and Sundar turned the tide, allowing GT to successfully chase down the target with 20 balls to spare. With this win, GT secured the second position on the points table, boasting three victories and one defeat, totaling six points. In contrast, SRH languishes at the bottom, suffering their fourth consecutive loss following a strong opening match against the Rajasthan Royals (RR).

During the run chase, Gujarat Titans faced early setbacks as both Sai Sudharsan (5) and Jos Buttler (0) fell cheaply to Mohammed Shami and captain Pat Cummins, leaving GT at 16/2 in just 3.5 overs.

Skipper Shubman Gill and Washington Sundar then took charge, forming a crucial partnership to stabilize the innings.

The duo began their assault with Gill striking two consecutive fours off Shami in the fifth over, followed by Sundar's explosive performance against Simarjeet, where he hit two fours and two sixes, amassing 20 runs in the over. By the end of the powerplay, GT had reached 48/2, with Sundar (23*) and Gill (19*) still at the crease.

Sundar helped GT cross the 50-run mark with a boundary through deep mid-wicket in the 6.3 over.

The pair's aggressive 50-run partnership came off just 27 balls.

After 10 overs, GT stood at 82/2, with Sundar (40*) and Gill (36*) unbeaten.

GT reached the 100-run milestone in 12.2 overs, with Gill achieving his first IPL fifty of the season in just 36 balls, including seven fours. Washington's impressive innings of 49 runs off 29 balls (featuring five fours and two sixes) ended when Aniket Verma took a spectacular catch, giving Shami his second wicket. GT was then at 106/3 in 13.1 overs, marking the conclusion of a vital 90-run partnership.

Sherfane Rutherford then entered the fray, making an immediate impact. After hitting Shami for a four, he unleashed a barrage against Abhishek Sharma, scoring 18 runs, including four boundaries.

The pair guided GT to victory without losing any further wickets, finishing at 153/3 in 16.4 overs, with Gill scoring 61* off 43 balls (nine fours) and Rutherford contributing 35* off 16 balls (six fours and one six).

Shami's bowling figures were 2/28 in four overs, while Cummins managed 1/26 in 3.4 overs, but their efforts fell short.

Earlier, Mohammed Siraj delivered a stellar performance in front of his home crowd, while Sunrisers Hyderabad struggled, posting a mere 152/8 in their 20 overs against Gujarat Titans.

Aside from a 50-run partnership for the fourth wicket between Nitish Kumar Reddy (31) and Heinrich Klaasen (27), SRH faced consistent setbacks throughout their innings. A late cameo of 22* from skipper Pat Cummins ensured SRH crossed the 150-run threshold.

After being put to bat first by GT, SRH got off to a rocky start, losing the dangerous Travis Head for just eight runs, caught by Sai Sudharsan off Siraj's bowling, leaving them at 9/1 after one over.

Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan attempted to stabilize the innings, with Abhishek hitting a couple of boundaries against Ishant Sharma in the second over. However, Siraj continued his impressive form, dismissing Abhishek for 18 runs, leaving SRH at 38/2 in 4.4 overs, marking Siraj's 100th IPL wicket.

At the end of the powerplay, SRH was 45/2, with Ishan Kishan (15*) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (2*) still at the crease.

SRH crossed the 50-run mark in 7.1 overs but soon lost Ishan to Prasidh Krishna for 17 runs, caught while attempting a pick-up shot, leaving them at 50/3 in 7.2 overs.

Nitish Kumar Reddy and Heinrich Klaasen managed to take SRH to 64/3 at the halfway mark, with Nitish (11*) and Klaasen (8*) unbeaten. The duo formed a half-century partnership, capitalizing on Rashid Khan's bowling, ending his spell at 0/31.

However, Sai Kishore provided GT with a breakthrough, dismissing Klaasen for 27 runs, leaving SRH at 100/4 in 13.5 overs. He also took out Nitish, who scored 31 runs off 34 balls, leaving SRH at 105/5 in 15.1 overs.

SRH continued to lose wickets, with Kamindu Mendis falling for just one run after being dismissed by Prasidh Krishna, leaving them at 120/6 in 17 overs.

Siraj claimed his third wicket, trapping Aniket Verma leg-before-wicket for 18 runs, leaving SRH at 135/7 in 18.4 overs. He then cleaned up Simarjeet Singh for a duck, concluding his spell with impressive figures of 4/17.

Despite the setbacks, skipper Pat Cummins fought back, hitting a four and a six in the final over against Ishant, while Mohammed Shami contributed with a four. SRH finished their innings at 152/8, with Cummins scoring 22* off nine balls (three fours and one six) and Shami adding 6* off two balls. The final over yielded 17 runs.

Siraj was the standout bowler for GT with figures of 4/17, while Prasidh (2/25) and Kishore (2/24) also performed admirably.

Brief Scores: SRH: 152/8 (Nitish Kumar Reddy 31, Heinrich Klaasen 27, Mohammed Siraj 4/17) lost to GT: 153/3 (Shubman Gill 61*, Washington Sundar 49, Mohammed Shami 2/28).