Gujarat Titans crush SRH to climb top of IPL table
Gujarat Titans stormed to the top of the IPL 2026 table after an 82-run demolition of Sunrisers Hyderabad in Ahmedabad, with Kagiso Rabada and Jason Holder leading a relentless fast-bowling display.
After recovering from early trouble to post 168 for 5, GT tore through SRH for just 86 in 14.5 overs. Kagiso Rabada claimed 3 for 28, Holder finished with 3 for 20, while Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna kept the pressure intact throughout a one-sided chase.
The victory was Gujarat Titans’ biggest-ever win in IPL history, surpassing their previous best margin of 77 runs against Rajasthan Royals earlier this season.
Sai Sudharsan and Washington rescue Gujarat Titans
The surface in Ahmedabad proved difficult from the outset. Deliveries gripped, jagged both ways and made strokeplay extremely risky, particularly against hard lengths.
Pat Cummins identified the ideal approach immediately, bowling a disciplined line with movement away from the bat. Praful Hinge backed him up impressively after returning to the SRH side in place of Harsh Dubey.
Hinge removed Shubman Gill with a mistimed on-drive before Jos Buttler edged an attempted scoop behind. Gujarat Titans slumped to 34 for 2 in the powerplay, their lowest score in that phase this season.
Sai Sudharsan then rebuilt the innings with another composed knock. He punished the rare loose deliveries while rotating strike effectively on a difficult batting pitch. Nishant Sindhu added a valuable 22 from 14 balls during a steady middle-overs partnership.
Cummins eventually broke the stand when Sindhu mistimed a lofted drive to long-off. Sai Sudharsan later brought up his sixth half-century of the season before falling for 61 off 44 balls while attempting a scoop against Sakib Hussain.
Washington changes momentum late
Washington Sundar provided the decisive push in the closing overs with a rapid 50 from 33 balls.
He targeted anything short or wide and took full advantage of an expensive spell from Eshan Malinga, who conceded 46 runs. Washington’s inventive strokeplay stood out on a surface where timing remained difficult for most batters throughout the evening.
His acceleration lifted Gujarat Titans to 168 for 5, a score that initially appeared competitive rather than commanding given the tricky conditions.
Rabada and Siraj break SRH immediately
Any uncertainty over the target disappeared quickly once SRH began their chase.
Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada attacked relentlessly with pace and hard lengths during the powerplay. Within 19 balls, SRH had lost Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan.
Rabada was especially destructive. Bowling close to 150kph, he repeatedly angled deliveries away from the left-handers and extracted steep movement from the surface. Abhishek chopped onto his stumps, Kishan edged while driving away from the body, and R Smaran miscued to cover.
By the end of the powerplay, SRH had collapsed to 34 for 4, mirroring GT’s own difficult start but without any recovery.
Holder and Prasidh finish ruthless victory
Jason Holder’s height and variations proved equally effective once the ball softened. Slower deliveries gripped sharply off the worn surface and SRH never recovered after Heinrich Klaasen miscued to Jos Buttler behind the stumps.
Holder later dismissed Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shivang Kumar to complete figures of 3 for 20. Prasidh Krishna complemented the attack perfectly with disciplined back-of-a-length bowling, finishing with 2 for 23.
Pat Cummins top-scored for SRH with 19, underlining the extent of their collapse as the innings folded for 86.
The result strengthened Gujarat Titans’ position at the top of the table with 16 points. More significantly, their pace attack once again showed why GT have become one of the most complete sides in IPL 2026.
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