On May 13, dusty winds and unseasonal rains brought change in weather not only for the city, but also turned the tide for the home side, Gujarat Titans (GT), as their hopes for the play-offs washed away after the match was abandoned.

GT has had a dream run in the IPL by making it to the finals of their first two outings, even winning the first one. Hardik Pandya, the captain for those two seasons, along with Ashish Nehra, the coach, made sure the team never looked out of place in the star-studded league, making a name for itself.

This time though, the tables have turned. The departure of Pandya, injury to Indian pacer Mohammed Shami, the hot and cold form of Afghan spinner Rashid Khan, and an out-of-colour David Miller have hurt the campaign for new captain Shubman Gill.

Facing Sunrisers

Today, GT will face Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their last match. Though SRH is yet to confirm their berth in the play-offs, they are one of the most destructive teams of the tournament. They have broken the record for highest-ever team total twice in the tournament and also registered the highest-ever powerplay score, 125/0 in six overs.

Against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), they chased down the target of 167 within 10 overs, fuelling the enthusiasts’ demand to cross the 300 mark in a 20-over match.

Below-par performances hurt GT

Gujarat Titans, on the other hand, have had a forgettable run in the  tournament. The team failed to even reach the play-offs. Sitting in eighth place in the points table out of 10 teams, they have lost seven and won only three (with one match abandoned).

The over-reliance on the top order, with Shubman Gill and Sai Sudarshan scoring almost 43% of the season’s total runs, has proved costly for them. They have also scored the lowest score of IPL 2024- 89/10, against Delhi Capitals at their home ground.

Their bowling spearheads have gone for tons of runs, with Noor Ahmad averaging 8.32, Rashid Khan 8.40, Umesh Yadav 10.00, and Mohit Sharma 10.89 runs per over this season.

With Gujarat Titans already out of the tournament, the team would like to play their last game for pride. For Sunrisers, this is their chance to solidify their place in the play-offs, as they just float above the qualifying line in fourth place.

Also read:

Gujarat Titans out of play-off race as Ahmedabad weather plays spoilsport