Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach Daniel Vettori refused to switch on his batting unit despite a crushing collapse against Gujarat Titans, insisting the franchise’s record-low total in the losing cause was nothing more than a rare blip in an otherwise outstanding IPL 2026 campaign.
SRH were bowled out for just 86 in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, their lowest total in IPL history in defeat, as Gujarat Titans produced a ruthless bowling show to storm into the playoffs as the first team to secure qualification.
Defense 169 on living surface with black soil, GT’s pace attack dismantled Hyderabad right from the start. Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada tore through the top order and removed four batters early to leave SRH’s chase in tatters before it had a chance to settle. Jason Holder then maintained the pressure of impeccable lengths while Prasidh Krishna and Rashid Khan ensured there was no way back for the visitors.
Despite the extent of the collapse, Vettori made it clear that one bad outing will not change his view of a batting line-up that is one of the most dangerous units in the competition.
“But as always you have to start well and we didn’t do that tonight. That happens,” Vettori said after the game.
“I don’t put any blame on the batting unit. They have been exceptional this year. Every team in the IPL is going to have their little ups and downs once in a while and ours was tonight. I don’t see why they can’t bounce back.”
Vettori admitted that Hyderabad’s chase effectively unraveled in the power play The relentless pressure of GT so recovery is almost impossible.
“We always want to start well. That’s our MO through the powerplay. Today, even though they bowled exceptionally well, there were a couple of lucky dismissals with the first two wickets,” he said.
“It was hard to regroup from there and they just kept putting pressure.
While the batting collapse caught the eye, Vettori also defended his own bowling unit, pointing out that restricting a strong Gujarat side to 169 initially made SRH believe they were firmly in the contest.
“We don’t expect our bowling unit to be perfect,” he said.
“I thought Sakib’s last over was brilliant. Pat lined up because we wanted to keep trying to get wickets and that’s what he did. He had exceptional magic.”
“Maybe the one from Malinga was a bit expensive, but again, he’s been absolutely amazing for us this year. It was a very good job to restrict them to 170.”
That optimism was short-lived as Gujarat’s fast bowlers turned the chase into a demolition derby.
Sunrisers Hyderabad will now turn their attention to a crucial trip to Chennai to face fellow play-off rivals CSK as the league stage enters its final phase.
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Issued by:
Amar Panicker
Published on:
May 13, 2026 11:04 AM IST
