Shubman Gill, Jos Buttler, & Sudharsan—delivered commanding performances that left (SRH) teetering on the edge of playoff elimination

Top Order Power: GT’s top three—Shubman Gill, Jos Buttler, and B Sai Sudharsan—are in scintillating form. With all three among the IPL 2024’s top four run-scorers and Sudharsan briefly holding the Orange Cap again, GT’s strength at the top is unmatched right now. SRH’s Bowling Woes: The early powerplay (82/0) exposed SRH’s lack of penetration with the ball, especially against in-form batters. Mohammed Shami and Pat Cummins’ lackluster spells contributed to another poor defensive performance. GT's Balanced Attack: With bowlers like Prasidh Krishna delivering miserly spells (4-0-19-2), and the hard-length strategy working against SRH, GT showed that they can defend big totals when their bowlers execute plans well. Table Position: GT now sit second with 14 points and a game in hand, in prime position for a playoff spot. SRH, in contrast, are on the brink—every match from here is a must-win, and even that might not be enough. This game further underlines the key weakness in SRH’s campaign: lack of consistency with both ball and bat, and a reliance on individual brilliance rather than a cohesive team strategy. This phase of the match highlights just how hard it was for SRH to claw back once GT's top order got going: SRH's Brief Resurgence: After a rough start, SRH finally got a breather with Sai Sudharsan's dismissal—a soft dismissal off a wrong’un by Zeeshan Ansari. This triggered a brief period of control: 17 balls without a boundary and better use of the pitch by Cummins and Unadkat. However, by then, GT had already built a formidable base. Gill’s Precision, Buttler’s Grit: Shubman Gill’s innings showed maturity—once the bowling improved, he adjusted by finding gaps rather than forcing shots. Buttler, despite battling heat exhaustion and improved bowling, anchored the back end of the innings with a crucial 64 (37), demonstrating GT’s depth and balance. SRH’s Chase: Promising but Insufficient: Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head showed intent early—quick footwork and clean striking—but even 45/0 in 4 overs wasn’t enough to match the steep required rate from the start. GT’s early 224 had already pushed SRH into high-risk mode, and once the powerplay ended, so did the momentum. This match really emphasized GT's control on both ends: building scoreboard pressure early and executing disciplined bowling later. For SRH, it showed that even strong starts won’t be enough without a sharper bowling performance upfront. This final stretch of the match sums up both Prasidh Krishna’s standout season and how SRH unravelled under scoreboard pressure: Prasidh’s Smart Adaptation: Instead of relying on off-pace deliveries (which are typically his go-to), Prasidh adjusted expertly to the low-bounce black-soil pitch, sticking to hard lengths from a high release point. This generated awkward bounce that troubled the SRH batters despite the surface. His one overpitched ball resulted in a four, but after that, he was near-unplayable. Rashid’s Brilliant Catch: Head’s dismissal—off a bouncer he couldn’t control—was punctuated by Rashid Khan’s 32-metre sprint and diving catch, a momentum-turning moment. It shows GT's excellence not just with bat and ball, but also in the field. Climbing Asking Rate: The scoring pressure snowballed: 12 RPO after the powerplay 13 by the 9th over 14 at the halfway mark Then, Prasidh’s 14th over, which likely had just a couple of runs, pushed the required rate to over 16, effectively closing the chase. Rashid’s Off Night with Ball: Ironically, the only blemish for GT was Rashid's poor bowling day—50 runs in 3 overs, the worst of his IPL career in economy. But with the game already out of SRH's reach, it only slightly affected GT's net run rate gain. This was a textbook high-total defence, led by Prasidh Krishna’s discipline and adaptability, fielding brilliance, and strategic bowling partnerships. SRH’s failure to maintain tempo or build partnerships, once behind, made the chase a formality.