The big question upfront is why Sunrisers Hyderabad, runners up in last year’s IPL, are languishing at the bottom of the table this year after being thumped by Gujrat Titans by 7 wickets with 20 balls to spare in their own backyard ?
The pitch yesterday in Hyderabad was tricky after the home team was put into bat by the visitors Gujrat Titans.
Mohamed Siraj started the rot sending home Travis Head for 8 runs followed by Abisheik Sharma for 18 as Sunrisers Hyderabad ended their power play overs with 44 runs for 2 wickets.
The introduction of spin by skipper Shubman Gill spelt more disaster for the home team as they lost Henrich Klassan for 27 having resurrected the Hyderabad innings with a well compiled 50-run partnership with Nitesh Reddy after the dismissal of Ishan Kishan for 17.
The South African batter Henrich Klassan, regarded as the best player of spin bowling in World Cricket, looked stunned, and was shocked when his timber was disturbed by an arm delivery from wicket machine spinner Sai Kishore as he is tagged, and the partnership broken with SRH on 100 for 4 wickets.
Rub salt to the wound is an old cliché. This followed soon after as in form batter Nitesh Reddy became Sai Kishore’ s second victim dismissed for 31 with Sunrisers Hyderabad looking down the barrel on 105 for 5 wickets.
Sadly, Sri Lankan Kamindu Mendis had an off day, back in the hutch for just 1 run with Mohd Siraj mopping up the tail with a hint of reverse swing for figures of 4 scalps for 17 runs, his best bowling effort in IPL cricket.
Thanks to Pat Cummins cameo of 22 off 9 balls plus the 17 runs that Gujarat Titans leaked in the final over by Ishant Sharma helped Sunrisers Hyderabad to stitch 153 for 9 wickets in their allotted 20 overs.
Siraj 4 for 17, Sai Kishore 2 for 24, and Prasad Krishna 2 for 25 did the damage with excellent bowling for the winners.
Rashid Khan went wicket less for 31 runs whilst Ishant Sharma, who was cartered for 17 runs in the final over, will not want to look at the score book because it reads 53 runs conceded in 4 overs and wicket less.
154 as a target on Indian pitches is a below par effort.
Gujarat Titans showed their class in getting to the target with 20 balls to spare with 7 wickets in the bank. Washington Sunder, known for his skill levels as a bowler, surprisingly never rolled his arm for his franchise in this game, but thumped 49 in 29 deliveries whilst Captain Shubman Gill remained unbeaten on 61 further sword edged by a West Indian cameo displayed by Shefane Rutherford unbeaten on 35 off just 16 deliveries saw Gujarat Titans win comprehensively by 7 wickets.
Mohamed Siraj was adjudicated as man of the match for his exquisite bowling display of 4 wickets for 17 runs in reaching a landmark of 100 IPL wickets in his career so far.
Gujarat Titans so climbed up the ladder to be placed at number two in the points table whilst Pat Cummins led Sunrisers Hyderabad are resultantly languishing and looking vulnerable at the bottom of the ten-team table.
