Ahmedabad: Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins stated the team ‘can cling on to some hope’ about their future despite having been virtually eliminated from playoff contention after the 38-run defeat against Gujarat Giants in Match 51 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 here on Friday.
Half-centuries by Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler saw Gujarat post a massive total of 224/6 in the first innings at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Despite Abhishek Sharma’s 74-run fighting knock, there was not enough fight by the batters to chase it down, and they fizzled to 186/6.
Sunrisers have won only three of their 10 games so far this season, and their fate now depends on other fixtures going their way. However, Cummins believes that hope is still there for the franchise, given the mega auctions that took place in 2024, ensuring the core of the team will remain the same for years to follow.
“Our power-play with the bat wasn’t too great. I was as guilty as anyone else. Probably let them get 20-30 extra runs. Maybe hang on to one or two catches. Again, I am guilty there. Chasing 200 looked a bit more realistic. They are class batters. They don’t do anything outlandish. If you bowl bad balls, they just put them away.
“We probably dished out too many bad balls. It is a really good wicket. Going for 140 in the last 14 overs was good on the bowling part. Sharma batted nicely. Nitish at the end. Left a little too much and too late for the batters. We can cling to some hope. Big auction last year. The core of the group will be there for three years,” said Cummins during the post-game presentation on Friday.
With the win, Gujarat moved past Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) into second place in the points table courtesy of their superior run rate. RCB will take on Chennai Super Kings on Saturday in what could be a pivotal result for Gujarat Titans.
(IANS)
