Gujarat Titans would hope that their confidence and form haven’t taken a serious hit after they were blown away by the Vaibhav Suryavanshi storm in their last game.
With a playoffs berth tantalisingly close — they are on 12 points after nine games — the Titans will aim to get even closer with two points from their game against strugglers Sunrisers Hyderabad in Ahmedabad on Friday.
The Titans were left stunned by the aggression of the 14-year-old Suryavanshi, who smashed the fastest century of the season to gift the Rajasthan Royals a campaign-saving victory.
The Titans, like they have done throughout this season, were solid with the bat as they put up 209/4. But with Suryavanshi on overdrive, they crashed to an eight-wicket defeat.
However, one assumes that with the consistent cricket that the Titans have played this season, they will be able to overcome that setback easily. They are just two wins away from the magic number of 16 points that can guarantee them a spot in the playoffs.
Friday’s match being a home game, it will surely add to their confidence. B. Sai Sudharsan, skipper Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler have been in superb run-scoring form and they will be expected to have the upper hand against a Sunrisers attack that has lacked in confidence and application.
Not just their batting, their bowling too has been on the mark on most occasions. Prasidh Krishna has led the attack impressively, forming a strong pace trio alongside Mohammed Siraj and Ishant Sharma. In the spin department, Rashid Khan’s return to form is a major boost.
For the Sunrisers, despite their win over Chennai Super Kings in their last game, it’s still a do-or-die situation.
Last year’s runners-up, known for their explosive brand of cricket, have faltered badly — managing just three wins from nine matches and dropping to ninth place in the points table.
With inputs from PTI
