Pat Cummins has thrown his support behind Sunrisers Hyderabad’s batting lineup following their 82-run defeat to Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad. The SRH captain acknowledged that batting collapses are part of T20 cricket and credited Gujarat’s nearly flawless bowling performance.
Siraj dismissed Travis Head for a duck as SRH chased 169. (PTI Photo)
Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins refused to panic after his team suffered a shocking batting collapse against Gujarat Titans on Tuesday, stating that “these things happen in T20 cricket” after SRH were bowled out for just 86 in Ahmedabad. The loss handed Hyderabad an 82-run defeat and exposed rare weaknesses in one of IPL 2026’s most formidable batting orders.
SRH had done well to limit Gujarat Titans to 168/7 on a challenging two-paced surface before their chase fell apart during the Powerplay.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Cummins defended his batters and praised Gujarat’s bowling execution.
“Our batting order has been fantastic. So I don’t think we need to overanalyze today,” Cummins said. “All four of our top four have over 400 runs. The guys are playing really well. This happens in T20 cricket.”
Cummins also acknowledged that Gujarat’s bowling on the sluggish Ahmedabad pitch was near-perfect.
“Looking at it, the wicket was tough once you hit that back of length, and they didn’t give us much to score,” Cummins added. “I think that’s as good as T20 bowling as you’ll see from them.”
The collapse came despite SRH entering the chase as favorites after their bowlers worked hard on a difficult surface. Cummins himself bowled an excellent spell of 1/20 in four overs, while young pacer Praful Hinge impressed with figures of 2/17 to help restrict GT.
However, once the chase began, Gujarat’s seamers flipped the game completely.
Mohammed Siraj struck with a wicket-maiden to dismiss Travis Head, before Kagiso Rabada tore through SRH’s top order with hostile seam bowling. Hyderabad slipped to 32/4 by the end of the Powerplay and never recovered.
Rabada finished with 3/28, while Jason Holder and Prasidh Krishna cleaned up the middle order on a surface that held up and bounced awkwardly.
Ironically, Cummins himself top-scored for SRH with 19, as none of Hyderabad’s specialist batters managed to build any resistance.
SRH head coach Daniel Vettori echoed the same belief, calling it a bad day at the office.
“They have been exceptional this year. Every team throughout the IPL will have these small blips once in a while, and ours was tonight. I don’t see why they won’t be able to bounce back,” Vettori said.
HOW SRH BATTING COLLAPSED AGAINST GT
The chase started going wrong from the very first over. Siraj removed Travis Head with a sharp delivery, and then Rabada took control of the Powerplay through disciplined seam movement and hard lengths.
Abhishek Sharma briefly attempted a counterattack with a six but was bowled soon after while trying to create room. Ishan Kishan edged behind, and R Smaran’s dismissal left SRH at 32/4 after six overs.
The pitch itself demanded patience, but Hyderabad never fully adjusted to the conditions. Holder’s slower balls and cross-seam variations became especially difficult as the surface started gripping further. Heinrich Klaasen and Nitish Kumar Reddy both fell trying to force the pace against deliveries that held slightly.
At 60/7, the game was effectively over.
Earlier in the evening, Gujarat themselves struggled for rhythm before Sai Sudharsan’s patient 61 and Washington Sundar’s fluent 50 helped push them towards a competitive total. That proved far more than enough.
SRH VS GT: PLAYOFF QUALIFICATION SCENARIO
The emphatic win lifted Gujarat Titans to the top of the IPL 2026 points table with 16 points, moving them within touching distance of playoff qualification. With two league matches remaining, both against fellow playoff contenders, GT now hold a strong advantage in the race for a top-two finish.
Their bowling attack also looks like one of the most dangerous units again, with Rabada, Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna all finding rhythm together at the right time.
For SRH, the defeat will sting badly. After winning the toss and bowling superbly in favorable conditions, Hyderabad would have expected to comfortably chase 169 given their batting form this season. Instead, they suffered one of the worst batting collapses of the season.
The result leaves SRH carrying fresh pressure into their final two league matches, both against teams fighting for playoff spots.