Sunrisers Hyderabad's Disappointing Loss Despite Exceptional Bowling in IPL 2026

Sunrisers Hyderabad's bowling unit impressed with exceptional plans, but their batting struggled against Gujarat Titans' pace pack in IPL 2026.

SRH Stays at No. 3 on the Points Table Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) remained at No. 3 on the points table despite a disappointing 82-run loss to Gujarat Titans (GT) in their IPL 2026 contest in Ahmedabad. Despite the loss, SRH's head coach Daniel Vettori expressed satisfaction with the team's performance, stating, "We were satisfied at the halfway mark." SRH's bowling coach Sanjay Bangar praised the team's exceptional bowling plans, calling them "exceptional". ## GT's Pace Pack Was Unstoppable Gujarat Titans' pace pack comprising Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Jason Holder, and Prasidh Krishna dominated the match, returning 9 for 82 in 14 overs. This impressive performance led to SRH's innings lasting just 14.5 overs. Vettori acknowledged, "We knew coming up against their bowling line-up and the fact that they had five seamers plus Rashid was always going to be a challenge." ## SRH's Outstanding Bowling Effort Sunrisers Hyderabad's bowling unit impressed with an exceptional performance, with Pat Cummins and Praful Hinge going at under six runs an over in their seven overs combined. Hinge and Sakib Hussain picked up two wickets each, while Eshan Malinga was expensive, going at 11.50 an over. Bangar praised SRH's bowling plans, stating, "There were some exceptional bowling plans, starting from how they bowled to [B] Sai Sudharsan, bowling that leg-stump line and not giving him anything to score off - this is the first time that I have seen him score [so few] runs behind point on the off side [he scored just 13 of his 61 in that region]." ## GT's Strategy Paid Off Gujarat Titans' decision to not use the slower ball early in the innings paid off, as they bowled seam-up for quite a bit, which was effective on the Ahmedabad pitch. Ambati Rayudu agreed with Bangar, stating, "They just didn't go to the slower ball very early - like how generally they do in other grounds - they bowled seam-up for quite a bit." ## SRH's Disappointing Batting Performance Sunrisers Hyderabad's batting unit struggled, losing four wickets inside the powerplay, including those of Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, and Ishan Kishan. Vettori acknowledged, "We didn't get the start we wanted and they were able to capitalise the whole way through and their bowling was brilliant." ## Vettori Reflects on the Loss SRH's head coach Daniel Vettori reflected on the loss, stating, "If they had scored 200, then we knew it would have been an incredibly difficult task. But I think the fact that [the target] was 169, we thought we had a chance." Vettori praised his batting unit, stating, "I don't put any blame on the batting unit - they've been exceptional this year."