GT vs SRH

16 points is what any team targets to be assured of a playoff spot more often than not and GT are now the first team in the season to get to those 16 points. They are at the top of the log now, with 2 games remaining they will be now eyeing a top-2 finish to have an extra bite of the cherry. SRH, well they will need to brush this under the carpet and then get ready for CSK next after a 5-day break in what could be a huge clash. Tomorrow, we move back to Raipur for RCB vs KKR with the defending champs looking to take the top spot again against a team which is fighting for their season coming in on a 4-match winning run. Make sure you catch that, for now this is Sourabh Agrawal signing off on behalf of Pradeep and the rest of the team. Cheers!

Kagiso Rabada is the Player of the Match for his spell of 3/28, here is what he had to say: (on his missed catch against Ishan Kishan) Did not reach fast enough, did not judge the speed of the ball. That was a crucial wicket for us, Ishan Kishan, after we had got them 2 down. Season in season out you try to do what is best for the team. I have been backed, my role is very clear and it is about leaving everything out there for the team. (importance of rhythm for a fast bowler) Rhythm is everything, bowl as much as I can but also preserve myself. It is just about finding about the kind of pitch we are playing on and bowling accordingly. (on GT's bowling unit) Each one of us have a natural attribute and it is about extracting as much as you can off that attribute. If your natural attrribute does not work, then look for something different. (was test match lengths the way to go tonight?) 100%, they showed the way with how they bowled and we followed suit. Simplicity was rewarded on this wicket

Shubman Gill (GT captain): Like I spoke on the toss, batting first has worked out for us. We bowled really well, 170 on this wicket was going to be tricky with a few wickets. We spoke about if we get to 160-170 with our bowling attack, it was not going to be easy for them. The way Sai and Washi batted, credit to them for getting us to the score. Credits to our bowlers for the way they bowled in the powerplay. It is important to stay consistent, we are not a team which plays a particular brand of cricket. We like to read the wicket and do what is required, if it is a 240 wicket then go for it straightaway or if it a 160-170 wicket then get that which is much better than 140. (on Holder) He is an experienced campaigner, has been bowling 4 overs on the trot pretty much everytime since he has come in which is not easy

A clean sweep for GT in the AWARDS as well

- Green Dot Ball Award Goes To Jason Holder (15 dot balls)
- On-the-go Fours of the match Award Goes to Washington Sundar (7 fours)
- Super SIxes Award Goes To Sai Sudharsan (2 sixes)
- SUPER Striker Award Goes to Nishant Sindhu (Strike rate of 157)

Washington Sundar [Gujarat Titans]: "(On adapting to the conditions and finishing strongly)I was really happy with the way the innings finished. The wicket was quite different compared to other games, so the focus was on understanding which shots were safest and most effective on that surface. It was also important for one of the set batters to stay till the end, and I’m pleased I was able to do that.(On the six over square leg)That shot came right out of the middle. It’s something I’ve been trying to execute consistently, especially against that hard length outside off stump, so it felt good to connect properly this time.(On pacing the innings)The plan was to stay calm and not overthink things, although naturally thoughts come and go during an innings. The main focus was reading the conditions and batting according to the situation. Until the final few overs, I didn’t want to force too much, but once the time came, the idea was to maximize boundaries while still playing percentage shots suited to the pitch.(On facing Rabada and Siraj in the nets)Facing bowlers like Rabada and Siraj demands discipline and concentration. You have to watch the ball closely, stay patient, and capitalize on the few scoring opportunities they give you.(On defending the total successfully)Defending a score like that in a tournament dominated by high-scoring games says a lot about the team. The group puts a lot of emphasis on understanding conditions and playing smart cricket according to the situation, and I think we’ve done that really well this season."

Pat Cummins hands over the Orange cap to Heinrich Klaasen!

Pat Cummins [Sunrisers Hyderabad captain]: "(On what could have been done differently)I thought they bowled exceptionally well in the second innings. At the halfway stage, we felt we had a decent score, but the wicket became quite tricky, and they used the conditions brilliantly. Perhaps we could have found better ways to get through that difficult spell, but they deserve a lot of credit for the way they executed.(On lessons from the bowling performance)Watching the game unfold, it was clear that hitting the hard back-of-a-length areas made scoring difficult. Looking back, maybe we could have held those lengths a bit more consistently with the ball as well. Overall though, that was a top-class T20 bowling performance from them.(On the team’s strong form this season)Our batting group has been outstanding for most of the tournament. The top order has consistently delivered, and one off day doesn’t change that. These things happen in T20 cricket, and there’s still a lot of confidence within the group.(On handling setbacks during the playoff race)We’ve built ourselves a bit of breathing space by winning consistently over the last few games. There are still important matches ahead, and the focus now is on quickly moving on from this result and getting back to the things that brought us success earlier in the tournament."

10:55 PM local time and IST: MATCH SUMMARY

Gujarat Titans (168/5 in 20 overs) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad (86 all-out in 14.5 overs) by 82 runs

Sai Sudharsan 61(44) | Jason Holder 3/20(4)
Pat Cummins 19(9) | Praful Hinge 3/17(3)

Five wins in a row for GT, they are getting better and better with every game and now they are at the top of the points table as they dismantle the men in orange. They are bucking the trend one game at a time, in the era of outbatting the opponents with bucketloads of sixes GT are continually delivering as a unit with the ball, they were by a large distance the bowling attack with the most wickets in the season and tonight have added 10 more to their kitty.

Just the second time that GT have bundled an opposition out in double digits, the last time it happened was back in 2022 when they dismissed LSG for 82.

Lowest ever total for SRH in IPL history and also their biggest defeat in terms of runs as well as GT's biggest win in terms of runs bettering their 77-run win earlier in the season against RR, SRH's previous lowest total was 96 which came against MI back in 2019 and this could not have come at a worse time for them.

Not only do they miss the chance to go to the top of the pile but their NRR takes a huge hit and goes from +0.73 to +0.33 while GT's goes up from +0.23 to +0.55

There was a reason why 168 was seen as a good score on this track after the end of the first innings, in the end it turned out to be a huge one. Tells you a thing or two when the highest score for a batter is 19, that is what Cummins had for SRH. The ball was moving around for the seamers, there was extra bounce off a length and some of them were sticking into the deck as well all of which we saw in the first innings. GT were on the money with the ball from the get go, Siraj started it off in the very first over by beating Head three times in a row and then dismissing him for a 4-ball duck to set the cat among the pigeons in the run chase

Rabada then breathed fire in the powerplay, a 3-er of the highest order for the Saffa as him and Siraj reduced SRH to 34/4 in the powerplay. It was as if GT's attack was made for this track, Prasidh chipped in with a couple of wickets and Holder once again got amongst the wickets with yet another 3-wicket haul

Rashid Khan capped it off with the final wicket against his ex-team, SRH are yet to register a win at the Narendra Modi Stadium

14.5 Rashid Khan to Praful Hinge, OUT! STUMPED! And, it's all over. SRH have been skittled out for 86, and GT thrash SRH to go top of the table in style! Another googly, turning past the leg-stump. Praful uses his feet, swipes and misses. Buttler had all the time in the world to disturb the bails and seal the game.

14.3 Rashid Khan to Eshan Malinga, BIG APPEALS FOR LBW, NOT GIVEN! Also, there's a bit of a mix-up. Fired it full on the pads, Malinga misses the sweep, deflects off the pad to short fine-leg. Malinga was ball watching, took off late, throw comes to bowler's end and Malinga made it quite easily.

GT have used just the 4 bowlers tonight, Gill can afford to bring Siraj back here and look to wrap this up. He is going to his spin wizard though