IPL 2026: Rabada, Holder rip through SRH as GT march to crushing 82-run win
Ahmedabad, May 12
Jason Holder and Kagiso Rabada starred with the ball as Gujarat Titans dismantled Sunrisers Hyderabad by 82 runs in a one-sided clash in the Indian Premier League 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.
After Sai Sudharsan and Washington Sundar guided GT to a competitive 168/5 with composed half-centuries, Rabada and Holder combined to rip through Hyderabad's batting line-up and bowl the visitors out for just 86 in 14.5 overs.
The chase never truly took off after Mohammed Siraj delivered a sensational opening over. The fast bowler removed Travis Head for a duck in a wicket maiden, forcing an early collapse. Rabada then took over and struck twice in his first two overs despite conceding sixes to Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan. Abhishek dragged one back onto his stumps, while Kishan edged behind to leave SRH reeling at 23/3.
Smaran Ravichandran and Heinrich Klaasen attempted to steady the innings with a few boundaries, but Rabada continued to exploit the helpful surface with pace and movement. He dismissed Smaran in the sixth over to complete an outstanding spell of 4-0-28-3 as Hyderabad slumped to 34/4 in the powerplay.
Klaasen and Salil Arora briefly resisted during the middle overs, but Holder extinguished any hopes of a recovery with a superb spell. The West Indies all-rounder first removed Klaasen, who miscued a pull shot to Jos Buttler, before dismissing Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shivang Kumar in quick succession.
Holder's disciplined lengths and clever variations earned him figures of 4-0-20-3 and ensured SRH never got close to the required run rate. Prasidh Krishna then chipped in with two wickets, including that of Pat Cummins, before Rashid Khan sealed the emphatic victory with the final wicket.
Earlier, GT recovered impressively after a difficult start, with Sudharsan and Sundar producing crucial knocks under pressure. Pat Cummins and Praful Hinge kept the hosts in check during the powerplay and removed Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler cheaply as GT crawled to 34/2 after six overs.
Sudharsan once again anchored the innings with maturity and fluency. The left-hander absorbed the early pressure before shifting gears with a series of crisp drives and clean hits down the ground. He brought up his fifty with a sweep off Shivang Kumar and continued to hold the innings together.
Nishant Sindhu provided useful support with a brisk cameo before Cummins struck to break the partnership. Washington Sundar then took charge in the latter stages alongside Sudharsan. The left-hander found boundaries consistently against both pace and spin, while Sudharsan completed a composed 61 off 44 deliveries before falling to Sakib Hussain.
Sundar carried the momentum into the final overs and brought up a valuable fifty off 33 balls before being dismissed in the last over. Late contributions from Jason Holder and Rahul Tewatia pushed the Titans to 168, a total that proved far too much for SRH on a challenging surface.
Brief scores:
Gujarat Titans 168/5 in 20 overs (Sai Sudharsan 61, Washington Sundar 50; Sakib Hussain 2-37, Praful Hinge 2-17) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad 86 all out in 14.5 overs (Pat Cummins 19, Salil Arora 16; Kagiso Rabada 3-28, Jason Holder 3-20, Prasidh Krishna 2-23) by 82 runs.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Honestly, SRH's batting is becoming a concern. They rely too much on Abhishek and Head at the top. Once they lose early wickets, the middle order just doesn't have the firepower. Klaasen tried but Holder's bowling was just too good today. GT fully deserved this win. 👏
Great tactical bowling by GT. You could see they'd done their homework on the SRH hitters - Siraj's first over really set the tone, then Rabada and Holder just didn't give anything loose. That's how you defend a modest total. Sai Sudharsan's innings was classy as always.
This pitch looked two-paced but it wasn't a rank turner. 168 was always gettable if you applied yourself. SRH's shot selection was horrible - Head playing across the line first ball, Abhishek dragging on, Kishan fishing outside off. You can't win T20 games throwing your bat at everything. Very disappointing from Hyderabad.
So proud of Washington Sundar! 🇮🇳 He's been working so hard on his batting and it's showing. A fifty in a pressure situation after GT were 34/2 is no joke. And people forget he can bowl too - GT have a gem in their squad. Meanwhile, Sai Sudharsan continues to be Mr. Reliable for GT. Future Indian team material for sure!
As a cricket fan, you have to appreciate Holder's comeback. From being out of the national setup to leading a bowling attack in the IPL with 3-20 - that takes real character. And Rabada just keeps proving why he's one of the best in the world
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