Hyderabad: Gujarat Titans pacer Mohammed Siraj claimed 4-17 to restrict Sunrisers Hyderabad to 152/8 in 20 overs in IPL 2025 encounter at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here in Hyderabad on Sunday.
Invited to bat first, Travis Head struck two consecutive fours off Siraj before the pacer dismissed him on the final ball of the opening over.
Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma struggled to score freely in the powerplay overs as the pair only added 29 runs for the second wicket before the latter was sent back to the pavilion by Siraj in the fifth over.
After losing both their openers early, Hyderabad were 45/2 after the end of the powerplay, their second-lowest in nine innings since 2024.
Kishan, who had spent a decent time on the crease, couldn’t capitalise on the start and was picked by Prasidh Krishna for 17 in the eighth over.
Meanwhile, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Heinrich Klaasen gave some respite to Hyderabad’s struggling innings as the duo kept on rotating strikes against Rashid Khan and Sai Kishore in the middle overs.
The duo amassed a 50-run stand for the fourth wicket before Kishore got the better of both batters in successive overs. Klaasen departed after scoring 27 including a six and two fours while Nitish scored 34-ball 31.
Hyderabad’s hope for a late flourish in the death overs also hit a blow when Krishna put an end to Kamindu Mendis’ (1) five-ball stay at the crease, leaving them for 120/6 after 17 overs.
In the next over, Siraj, bowling his final over of the spell, showcased exceptional death bowling skills and clinched the scalps of Aniket Verma (18) and Simarjeet Singh (0) to complete his four-fer. The pacer returned with the figures of 4-17, his best bowling performance in the IPL history.
Pat Cummins (22 not out) struck a four and six while Mohammed Shami joined him with a boundary off Ishant Sharma’s final over to take their total to 152/8.
Apart from Siraj, Rashid and Krishna bagged two scalps each while remaining economical in their spells.
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) against Gujarat Titans.
(IANS)
