GT vs SRH Preview: Gujarat and Hyderabad lock horns to pocket their second win

Gujarat Titans (GT) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) lock horns at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, March 31. Both teams have notched up two points from as many games in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 so far. There is another similarity between the two teams. Both of them have a new captain at the helm this season. However, Sunrisers captain Pat Cummins is a long way ahead of his opposite number, Shubman Gill, in terms of experience as a captain.

Gujarat started their season on a high as they defeated Mumbai Indians at home in their first match of IPL 2024. The five-time champions lost by six runs, failing to chase a target of 169 on a tricky pitch. In their second game, the Titans faced Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. The Men in Yellow had defeated Gujarat in the finals last year and they once again repeated the result, winning by a massive 63-run margin.

Sunrisers, on the other hand, have played two high-scoring encounters to start their campaign. They played their opening fixture against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens where Heinrich Klaasen’s epic knock of 63 runs off 29 balls kept them in the hunt before a brilliant last over from Harshit Rana gave the hosts a four-run win. This match was pulsating but SRH’s next encounter was a blockbuster. At the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, Cummins and Co. broke the record for the highest team total in the tournament’s history as they amassed 277/3 against Mumbai Indians. The visitors fought hard with the bat but they eventually fell 31 runs short of Hyderabad’s score.

Head to Head

Pitch Report

The surface at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad in the Gujarat versus Mumbai clash wasn’t easy to bat on. If the pitch continues to behave similarly, the powerplay is going to be very crucial for the teams. The batters will have to make good use of the new ball and the field restrictions as run-scoring through the middle overs might not be easy.

Probable Playing XI

Gujarat Titans: Wriddhiman Saha (WK), Shubman Gill (C), Sai Sudharsan, Vijay Shankar, David Miller, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Umesh Yadav, Spencer Johnson, R Sai Kishore

Impact Sub – Mohit Sharma

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Travis Head, Mayank Agarwal, Abhishek Sharma, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen (WK), Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Pat Cummins (C), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mayank Markhande, Jaydev Unadkat

Impact Sub – Umran Malik