Cummins called it an “intense time of the tournament” and backed SRH’s recent momentum, while GT captain Shibman Gill admitted that his side also wanted to bowl first. Both teams maintained their winning combinations for the high-stakes competition.
As the IPL enters its decisive final phase, second-placed Sunrisers Hyderabad and third-placed Gujarat Titans are gearing up for a crucial clash on Tuesday, one that could prove crucial in shaping the playoff race.
The Shibman Gill-led GT looked a little better after recovering from a slow start to the season that included an emphatic 77-run win over Rajasthan Royals, which moved them to third on the points table.
With the top three sides – Royal Challengers Bengaluru, SRH and GT – all locked on 14 points, net run rate could be the deciding factor in the race for the playoffs, making it imperative for SRH to improve their performance in front of their home crowd.
SRH have found their rhythm at the best stage of the tournament, with an emphatic 33-run win against Punjab Kings highlighting their immense batting prowess after amassing a mammoth 235/4.
But despite their resurgence and strong position in the table, they cannot afford complacency as the race for the playoffs is extremely tight and a single mistake could prove costly.
GT’s biggest strength lies in the balance of their team, particularly their batting, which revolves around skipper Gayle and Sai Sudharsan, both of whom have provided solidity at the top while intelligently communicating the powerplay.
Adding to the depth with veteran pacers like Jos Buttler and Washington Sundar, GT consistently prefers to build before accelerating in the middle and death overs, an approach that has worked well both for setting targets and in the chase.
troops:
Gujarat Titans: Shibman Gul (captain), Anuj Rawat, Arshad Khan, Ashok Sharma, Jos Buttler, Connor Esterhuizen, Gurnoor Brar, Jason Holder, Kalwant Khajrulia, Kumar Kshagra, Mohammad Siraj, Glenn Phillips, Parsed Krishna, Kagiso Rabada, Sakhnoor Khan, Rushd Khan, Shah Rakhozi, Mohammad Siraj. Ishant Sharma, Nishant Sindhu, Manu Sothar, Rahul Teotiya, Washington Sundar, Luke Wood, Jayant Yadav.
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Pat Cummins (c), Abhishek Sharma, RS Ambrish, Amit Kumar, Salil Arora, Gerald Coetzee, Harsh Dubey, Cranes Foletra, Travis Head, Praful Henge, Ishan Kishan, Henrik Klaasen, Liam Livingstone, Dilshan Madushanka, Ishan Kumar Patel, Ishan Malinga, Nish Kumar, Radu Mandy Saqib Hussain, Shivang Kumar, Ravichandran. Simran, Onkar Tramle, Jaydev Anadakt, Aniket Verma, Zeeshan Ansari.
