Kagiso Rabada and Jason Holder claimed three wickets each as Gujarat Titans defended 168 with ease, bowling out Sunrisers Hyderabad for just 86 in 14.5 overs to secure an emphatic 82-run victory at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.
The home side’s pace attack overpowered SRH’s formidable batting lineup on a sluggish black-soil pitch. Rabada (3 for 28) and Mohammed Siraj (1 for 11) ran through the top order, leaving the visitors reeling at 32 for four in the powerplay. Prasidh Krishna (2 for 23) and Holder (3 for 20) maintained the stranglehold in the middle overs, extending GT’s winning streak against SRH to six matches and propelling them to the top of the standings.
Half-centuries from B. Sai Sudharsan and Washington Sundar were equally vital in building the Titans’ total. The left-handed pair added 60 runs for the fourth wicket to seize control after SRH’s pacers had restricted GT to 34 for two in the powerplay. Sudharsan began with a crisp cover drive off Nitish Kumar and hit his first six in the 11th over, a slash over backward point against Eshan Malinga. He reached his fifty with a powerful sweep off left-arm wrist spinner Shivang Kumar. Washington mixed textbook shots with innovative scoops and off-balance slog hits in the death overs to ensure a strong finish.
In response, Rabada and Siraj produced a masterclass in containing the opposition. Siraj removed Travis Head caught at deep third off a leading edge, while Rabada forced Abhishek Sharma to chop on and then had Ishan Kishan caught behind off an outswinger. Holder and Prasidh snuffed out any remaining resistance, sealing a dominant win that puts GT on the verge of playoff qualification.
