CHENNAI: Clinical bowling performance from Gujarat Titans helped them restrict Sunrisers Hyderabad to 162/8 in 20 overs. Mohit Sharma was the pick of the bowlers for Titans, taking 3/25.
Opting to bat first, SRH got off to a flying start with Travis Head and Mayank Agarwal taking on the bowlers. First, Head hit Azmatullah Omarzar for two fours before picking up a four off Umesh Yadav. When it looked like SRH was running away in the powerplay, Omarzai dismissed Agarwal for 16 from 17 balls.
Abhishek Sharma welcomed Rashid Khan with back-to-back sixes, picking up from where he left in the game against Mumbai Indians. However, Noor Ahmed, coming in for Spencer Johnson, provided the crucial breakthrough, cleaning up Head with a googly. The Australian made 19 runs from 14 balls.
Noor, along with Rashid, put the brakes on SRH's momentum, slowing down the run rate. Mohit Sharma reaped the reward by dismissing Abhishek for 29 from 20 balls as Hyderabad were at 74/3 in ten overs.
Even as Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klaasen tried to get going, it was not easy. Sharma used the cutters to good use, keeping a check. While Klaasen hit Noor for consecutive sixes to turn the momentum on his side. Shubman Gill brought back Rashid and he delivered with the wicket off Klaasen, who scored 24 runs from 13 balls.
Umesh Yadav doubled down by dismissing Markram in the very next over, putting SRH on the backfoot. Although Abdul Samad started off with two fours but he and Shahbaz Ahmed could not sustain the momentum in the death overs.
On a pitch that was on the slower side, they managed to pick up one boundary each in overs 17-19 while keeping the scoreboard moving. They added 30 runs in those three overs, and when Shahbaz (22) tried to go after Mohit, he could not clear the ropes and was caught by Rahul Tewatia. Washington Sundar, coming in as Impact Player for Agarwal, got out first ball as SRH finished with 162/7. Abdul Samad was unbeaten on 29 from 14 balls.