Mohammed Siraj delivered his best IPL figures of 4 for 17 to lay the foundation for Gujarat Titans' commanding seven-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Sunday.
Skipper Shubman Gill led the run chase with an unbeaten 61, sealing Gujarat's second win in the IPL 2025 season, while Hyderabad suffered their fourth straight loss.
Pursuing a modest target of 153, Gujarat were in early trouble as Sai Sudharsan (5) and Jos Buttler (0) got out in a hurry. Undeterred, Gill anchored solidly and anchored the sheet to take his team across to the finishing line safely.
The Hyderabad pitch didn’t offer the usual batting paradise. Instead, it demanded patience, as the ball came on slowly. Gill, in partnership with debutant Washington Sundar, tackled the sluggish conditions with composure, steering through the middle overs efficiently.
Sundar injected pace with a scorching over off Simarjeet Singh, dispatching two fours and two sixes to register 20 runs. That over eased much of the initial pressure, allowing Gujarat to take command of the pursuit.
Continuing at a decent scoring rate, Gill and Sundar made good use of loose balls and crafted a strong stand. Gill went to his fifty in 36 balls, further strengthening Gujarat's hold on the game.
With Sundar approaching a well-deserved fifty, Aniket Verma cut short his contribution of 49 runs with a sharp catch off Mohammed Shami. But the momentum remained with Gujarat.
Sherfane Rutherford then put the finishing touches on with a aggressive 35* that had six boundaries and a six, securing the Titans with 20 balls to spare. Gill, who was left not out on 61 from 43 balls, nine boundaries, was supported by Siraj, who received the Player of the Match award.
Earlier in the morning, after being sent in to bat, Travis Head started promisingly, hitting successive boundaries off Siraj, before getting out to him on the last ball of the first over.
Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma were unable to find any acceleration in the powerplay, adding only 29 runs for the second wicket. Siraj removed Abhishek in the fifth over.
Hyderabad were 45/2—one of their lowest starts in their last nine games since 2024—by the end of the powerplay. Kishan, who was set, couldn't make the most of his start and was removed for 17 by Prasidh Krishna off the eighth over.
Nitish Kumar Reddy and Heinrich Klaasen stabilized the innings briefly, rotating the strike nicely against the spin pair of Rashid Khan and Sai Kishore. They shared a 50-run partnership for the fourth wicket before both were dismissed in successive overs by Kishore. Klaasen scored 27, with a six and two fours, while Nitish contributed 31 from 34 balls.
Hyderabad's dream of a late comeback in the last overs was ruined as Krishna got rid of Kamindu Mendis (1), taking them to 120/6 after 17 overs.
Siraj came back to bowl the last over and sealed the matter in style, getting rid of Aniket Verma (18) and Simarjeet Singh (0) to record his four-wicket haul—the best-ever for him in the IPL.
Pat Cummins chipped in with an unhit 22, including a six and a boundary, as Mohammed Shami also scored four off the fifth ball of the final over, bowled by Ishant Sharma, as Hyderabad finished on 152/8.
Apart from Siraj's heroic show, Rashid Khan and Prasidh Krishna took two wickets each and ensured the flow of runs did not go awry.
Match Summary: Sunrisers Hyderabad 152/8 in 20 overs (Nitish Kumar Reddy 31, Heinrich Klaasen 27; Mohammed Siraj 4-17, Rashid Khan 2-24, Prasidh Krishna 2-25)
lost to
Gujarat Titans 153/3 in 16.4 overs (Shubman Gill 61, Washington Sundar 49; Mohammed Shami 2-28)
by 7 wickets.*
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