IPL 2024, GT vs SRH: Shubman Gill stands out with superb captaincy against SRH. Top takeaways for Gujarat Titans and SRH from this game.
Brief Scores: SRH 162/8 (Abdul Samad 29, Abhishek Sharma 29, Mohit Sharma 3/25) lost to GT 168/3 (Sai Sudharsan 45, David Miller 44, Shahbaz Ahmed 1/20) by 7 wickets.
In a relatively easy run chase for the Gujarat Titans, the home team scampered home by 7 wickets with 5 balls to spare courtesy of match-winning knocks by David Miller and Sai Sudharsan.
Earlier in the evening, Mohit Sharma’s spell overshadowed the Sunrisers Hyderabad's batting might, as the visitors could muster only 162 runs after opting to bat first.
Key Takeaways from GT vs SRH, Match 12, IPL 2024- Winning team (GT)
Apt bowling changes by Shubman at the crucial juncture of the match
The visiting team, SRH, continued from where they left off the other evening at Hyderabad against MI post winning the toss. Led by the dangerous duo of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma at the top of the order, Sunrisers hammered 56 runs in the powerplays.
When it looked like they would run away with the game, a brilliant captaincy from Shubman Gill concerning the bowling changes reduced the flow of runs. For instance, the introduction of Mohit Sharma saw him sending back well-settled Abhishek for 29. When Henrich Klaasen looked threatening to launch another one of the assaults, Rashid Khan snapped him.
They were also effective in the death overs, and from what looked like a 180-point total at the powerplay mark, GT did well to restrict SRH to 162.
David Miller amongst the runs is a great positive for GT
In the last two seasons, one of the major reasons for the Titans’ success has been the contribution of their middle order, particularly David Miller. Since joining the franchise, Miller has scored 740 runs with a strike rate of over 140 but started off slowly in the first couple of games.
But finally, the left-hander showed his range during a pressure chase at Ahmedabad, stroked a match-winning knock of 44 from just 27 balls to take the home team past the finish line.
Key Takeaways from GT vs SRH, Match 12, IPL 2024- Losing team (SRH)
SRH needs to find ways to find a good bowling combination with the new ball and to win away games
The Sunrisers Hyderabad adopted a strategy of adding Washington Sundar to the line-up to strengthen their bowling attack while defending. This was a good ploy on the slowish surface at Ahmedabad. But it meant they had to forgo a pace bowler (Umran Malik) from the playing XI, which dented their new ball attack.
Jaydev Unadkat, a middle-overs bowler, had to be the first change bowler. And in a pitch suitable for bowlers who change their pace, the lack of another pacer in the middle overs hurt them badly. Their Markande, Sundar, and Shahbaz spin trio went for 80 in 8 overs. Someone like T Natarajan would have found the conditions to his liking, and it is high time SRH shaped their bowling attack in the coming games.
Another thing to ponder for SRH is their tendency to drop points in away games. This is the second time in as many matches they have lost an away fixture (vs KKR), and this trend needs to change.
Statistical Highlights for GT vs SRH
This is the second time Rashid Khan has taken the wicket of Heinrich Klaasen in T20 cricket. They have faced each other six times now, with Klaasen scoring 64 runs in 34 deliveries with a strike rate of less than 190.
Another major match-up in this contest was between the GT skipper Shubman Gill and Bhuvneshwar. The latter has always had a wood over Gill in the IPL, conceding just 57 runs in 56 balls since 2018 while getting him out greatly.
Mohit Sharma is the 16th bowler in IPL history to have scalped 125 or more wickets in the league. He crossed the mark during his 3/25 in this game and has had 33 wickets since 2023.
Points Table Scenario and what’s next
As a result of this win, the Titans jump to 4th place but still have a negative run rate (-0.738) and will next face Punjab Kings on April 4 at the same venue.
On the other hand, SRH, though losing 2 games, have an NRR of +0.204 and will challenge the defending champs CSK on the 5th at Hyderabad.
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