IPL 2025: Shubman Gill, Mohammed Siraj star as Gujarat crush Hyderabad by seven wickets

After Mohammed Siraj's career-best IPL bowling figures of 4-17, skipper Shubman Gill anchored the chase with an unbeaten 61 to guide Gujarat Titans to a dominant seven-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Sunday.

The defeat marked Hyderabad's fourth loss in a row, while Gujarat secured their second win of the IPL 2025 season.

Chasing a target of 153, Gill held his nerve despite the early dismissals of the in-form Sai Sudharsan (5) and Jos Buttler (0), playing the anchor role to lead his side comfortably to the finish line.

Tough Pitch Conditions, Calm Batting Display

Unlike typical Hyderabad surfaces that favor high scores, this pitch offered slow bounce and grip, making run-scoring tricky. Gill, in the company of debutant Washington Sundar, stabilized the innings during the middle overs and ensured a steady run flow.

Sundar's Impactful Knock

Sundar turned the tide with a blistering over against Simarjeet Singh, hitting two fours and two sixes to collect 20 runs. That over helped Gujarat recover from their early setbacks.

The pair kept the momentum going, capitalizing on loose deliveries. Gill reached his fifty in 36 balls, giving Gujarat firm control of the chase.

Crucial Finish by Rutherford

Sundar, just a run short of his half-century, was dismissed for 49 after a sharp catch by Aniket Verma off Mohammed Shami’s bowling. In the closing phase, Sherfane Rutherford smashed an unbeaten 35, including six boundaries and a six, finishing the match with 20 balls to spare.

Gill stood tall with a 43-ball 61* featuring nine fours, while Siraj was named Player of the Match for his sensational bowling.

Siraj Strikes Early in Powerplay

Earlier, after being asked to bat first, Travis Head hit back-to-back boundaries off Siraj but was dismissed on the final ball of the opening over.

Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma found it hard to accelerate, adding just 29 runs for the second wicket. Siraj sent Abhishek back in the fifth over, restricting Hyderabad to 45/2 by the end of the powerplay — their second-lowest in nine matches since 2024.

Middle-Order Contributions

Kishan, despite spending time at the crease, failed to convert his start and was dismissed for 17 by Prasidh Krishna. A 50-run partnership between Nitish Kumar Reddy and Heinrich Klaasen brought some stability as they rotated strikes well against Rashid Khan and Sai Kishore.

Sai Kishore broke the stand by removing both Klaasen (27) and Nitish (31) in successive overs, denting Hyderabad’s progress.

Death Overs Collapse

Kamindu Mendis managed only one run before Krishna dismissed him, reducing Hyderabad to 120/6 after 17 overs. Siraj returned for his final over and scalped Aniket Verma (18) and Simarjeet Singh (0), completing a brilliant four-wicket haul.

Final Push to 152

Pat Cummins chipped in with an unbeaten 22, supported briefly by Mohammed Shami, to push Hyderabad’s total to 152/8. Rashid Khan and Krishna also played key roles with two wickets apiece while keeping the run rate under control.

Brief Scores:

Sunrisers Hyderabad 152/8 in 20 overs (Nitish Kumar Reddy 31, Heinrich Klaasen 27; Mohammed Siraj 4-17, Rashid Khan 2-24, Prasidh Krishna 2-25) lost to Gujarat Titans 153/3 in 16.4 overs (Shubman Gill 61 not out, Washington Sundar 49; Mohammed Shami 2-28) by seven wickets.

(With IANS inputs)