Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers Hyderabad square off in an afternoon fixture in IPL 2024 on Sunday, March 31. Gujarat Titans (GT) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are set to lock horns at the colossal Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad in match No. 12 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 on Sunday, March 31.
Both teams have two points from as many games in the competition thus far. Last year’s runner-up Gujarat Titans faced Mumbai Indians last week at home and the new captain Shubman Gill led his side to a nerve-wracking six-run win against the former five-time champions. On the back of Sai Sudharsan’s 39-ball 45, the Titans managed 168/6 on a tricky surface before restricting Mumbai to 162/9 in their 20 overs. After this win, the Titans traveled to the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk to face the Chennai Super Kings in a replay of last year’s final. The Men in Yellow amassed 206/6 in their 20 overs as the Gujarat bowlers were taken to the cleaners. In reply, the visitors could only manage 143/8, losing the clash by 63 runs, the biggest defeat in terms of runs so far in IPL 2024.
Sunrisers Hyderabad, on the other hand, started with an agonizing four-run defeat at the Eden Gardens against Kolkata Knight Riders. Chasing a huge target of 209, Heinrich Klaasen led the charge for the Orange Army with a destructive half-century. With six runs required off the final four balls and five wickets in hand, it seemed that Hyderabad will win in a canter. However, Harshit Rana held his nerves and gave the Knight Riders a thrilling win. The Sunrisers managed to bounce back emphatically in their next encounter on their home ground – Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. They registered the highest-ever team total in IPL history as they posted a mind-boggling 277/3 after being asked to bat first. Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, and Klaasen scored whirlwind half-centuries to take Sunrisers to a position of strength. Mumbai batted well and got to 246/5 in their 20 overs, but still lost the clash by 31 runs. Sunrisers will be high on confidence after their stupendous batting performance against Mumbai. They have some exciting foreigners in their lineup and if the domestic players can step up, they could be a tough team to beat. Meanwhile, Gujarat will hope for a solid performance from their captain. The likes of David Miller and Vijay Shankar will also have to step up.
GT vs SRH Match Details:
| Match | Gujarat Titans Vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, IPL 2024 |
|---|---|
| Venue | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad |
| Date & Time | Sunday, March 31, 3:30 PM (IST) |
Narendra Modi Stadium Pitch Report:
This is going to be just the second match played at the enormous Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad in this year’s IPL. In the first match between Gujarat and Mumbai, run-scoring wasn’t easy as the ball got softer. The short balls stuck onto the surface and the batters struggled to time their shots. Dew factor also came into play in the second innings but the Titans’ bowlers managed it well. However, dew will have no role to play on Sunday as it is an afternoon clash. Opting to bowl first could be a wise strategy as the pitch could be slow to start with.
Head-to-Head Record
| Matches Played | Gujarat Titans won | Sunrisers Hyderabad Won | No Result | First Played | Last Played |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03 | 02 | 01 | Nil | April 11, 2022 | May 15, 2023 |
Probable Playing XIs
Gujarat Titans (GT): 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
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH): Mayank Agarwal, Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Pat Cummins (c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mayank Markande, Umran Malik
Probable Best Players of the Match
Probable Best Batter: Heinrich Klaasen is in the form of his life. He has been decimating the best bowlers around the world with utmost ease and seems to look invincible at times. He has gotten off to a flying start in IPL 2024, having smashed two half-centuries in the first couple of games. In the first encounter against the Knight Riders, he scored 63 off just 29 balls, hitting eight sixes. The wicketkeeper-batter followed it up with an unbeaten 34-ball 80 against Mumbai in a knock that comprised four fours and seven sixes. Gujarat will want to see the back of him very quickly before he gets into his zone.
Probable Best Bowler: Rashid Khan will be the bowler to watch out for against the Sunrisers. The talismanic Afghanistan spinner will be Shubman’s best bet against the in-form SRH batting lineup. Rashid conceded 49 runs and picked up two wickets against Chennai. However, he has been on the T20 circuit for a long time to know that bowlers can have their off days. He also knows how to bounce back. It will be interesting to see how his four overs are used by the Titans.
Today’s Match Prediction: Sunrisers Hyderabad to win the match
