NEW DELHI: Gujarat Titans all-rounder Washington Sundar produced one of the most audacious sixes ever seen in the IPL during their IPL 2026 meeting with Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. The audacious strike sent the crowd roaring and even prompted the Gujarat Titans dugout to rise in applause. The six arrived in the 19th over off Eshan Malinga, when Sundar struck a low full toss on the pads and drove it on a flat line over deep mid-wicket, nearly ending up seated on the turf as the ball sailed away.
Gujarat Titans went on to dominate Sunrisers Hyderabad by 82 runs, climbing to the summit of the IPL 2026 points table. With the bat first, Sai Sudharsan struck a half-century of 61 and Washington Sundar made 50, helping GT post 168/7 on a surface that offered challenges to batters. In response, Kagiso Rabada returned figures of 3/28 and Jason Holder chipped in with 3/20 to dismantle the Sunrisers batting order and help Gujarat secure their fifth straight win of the campaign as the reigning IPL 2022 champions.
Sunrisers Hyderabad, chasing 169, crumbled to 60/7. Rabada struck early with the new ball, while Holder tightened the contest after the powerplay to keep the required rate out of reach. Hyderabad were eventually bowled out for 86 in 14.5 overs, handing Gujarat a comfortable win.
Sudharsan set the tempo with a measured 61 off 44 balls, including five fours and two sixes. Sundar’s knock of 33 deliveries for 50 proved equally decisive, as his innings featured seven fours and a single standout six that helped Gujarat reach a competitive total.
“(How happy are you?) Definitely happy. I was just focusing on reading the situation. The wicket was quite different from other games, so I wanted to understand which shots were going to work on this surface and be effective. Also, it was important for one of the set batters to stay there till the end. That helps,” Sundar said after the match.
“(That six into square leg when you were pretty much sitting down on the ground. How good was that?) It did (was middled). I was trying to get that shot right even earlier, but they were bowling yorkers really well. I’m happy it came off the other way today,” Sundar added while describing the moment.
“(What was the plan?) The plan was to not overthink it—that was honestly the plan. Of course thoughts come in now and then, but as I said, I focused on understanding the wicket and the situation. I asked one of us—either myself or Sai—to play through the innings. I’m happy with how I finished it. (Was it a conscious effort to look for boundaries?) 100%. Up to around the 17th or 18th over, I didn’t want to go all out. But in the last couple of overs, I tried to hit as many boundaries as possible. I also looked to play the shots that were available on this wicket. Things went really well for us today,” he said.
“(What’s it like facing Rabada and Siraj in the nets?) I don’t think I should give too much away, but I know I have to be disciplined and watch the ball closely. You have to expect that they’ll miss a couple of deliveries where you can pick up a boundary or two, and then you build from there. I’ve made some small adjustments, but not too much. (How satisfying is it to get to 168 and then to defend it?) It says a lot about the team and the setup, and the kind of people who are part of that environment. They give a lot of importance to playing good cricket in every situation, regardless of conditions. And in this format, understanding the conditions and playing accordingly is really crucial—and I think we’ve done that well this year,” Sundar concluded.
