Gujarat Titans, on Monday, suffered their first defeat of IPL 2022 as Kane Williamson inspired Sunrisers Hyderabad to an 8-wicket victory with a gritty half-century. After starting their season with back-to-back defeats, the Sunrisers have bounced back with big wins over Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans. The result means Titans have now dropped down to the fifth spot but Sunrisers remain intact at number 8.
It was an all-round performance from Sunrisers which outclassed Hardik Pandya’s Titans in all three departments.
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Here are the talking points from Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Gujarat Titans clash.
Wade’s Struggle Continues
GT suffered a huge blow ahead of the ongoing season when England’s Jason Roy decided to pull out from the tournament. The new franchise bought Roy to open the innings alongside Shubman Gill. With Roy not available, Gujarat have used Matthew Wade as the other opener but the move has not worked for them so far. The Australian wicketkeeper-batter has failed to create any impact at the top with a string of low scores. With just 56 runs from four matches, the time has almost run out for Wade. Gujarat will have to look at other options to provide a strong opening partner for Gill .
Rusty Pandya
The flamboyant all-rounder Hardik Pandya scored an unbeaten fifty against SRH but he didn’t look fluent during his knock. Pandya, who is known for his ferocious power-hitting, failed to switch gears in the death overs. He completed his half-century off 42 balls which is his slowest in IPL history. The 28-year-old came out to bat at number 4 in a tricky situation and stabilized the innings quite sensibly but failed to accelerate when needed and as a result, Gujarat were 15-20 runs short at the end of the innings.
No Rashid no Problem For SRH
It was a very unusual sight for many witnessing Rashid Khan playing against Sunrisers Hyderabad where he played for five years. The legspinner became a force to reckon with during his stay with Hyderabad as he used to control the middle-overs with his disciplined bowling. However, SRH didn’t miss him much during the clash with Gujarat as they managed to restrict the opposition to a below-par score. Washington Sundar, who is not the primary spin option for SRH, ended up with an economical figure of 0/14 in 3 overs. While Rashid also did reasonably well for Gujarat as he claimed a wicket for 28 runs but it was not enough for his team.
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King Kane Returns to Form
Skipper Williamson finally returned to form and guided Sunrisers Hyderabad to a clinical win. The Kiwi was going through a rough patch in the first few matches but scored 57 runs off 46 balls on Monday night which helped his team end Gujarat’s winning streak. The 31-year-old started his innings slowly but changed gears at the right moment to set the platform for the other batters. He completed his fifty with a flamboyant ramp shot over fine-leg for a maximum against his fellow countryman Lockie Ferguson. His return to form is a big positive for SRH.
Pooran Gets The Job Done
Windies power-hitter Nicholas Pooran who was bought for a whopping Rs 10.75 crore finally lived up to the expectations of his franchise. The southpaw held his nerves and scored an unbeaten 34 off 18 to seal the win for his new franchise. SRH don’t have any other power-hitter lower down the order as they rely heavily on Pooran and his return in form is a great sign for the Orange Army. The 26-year-old was facing a lot of scrutiny for his underwhelming show in IPL since last season but his crucial knock against GT might change his fortunes.
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