Sunrisers Hyderabad suffered a brutal collapse in IPL 2026 on Tuesday, losing to Gujarat Titans and also recording the lowest total of their campaign. Chasing 169, SRH were bowled out for just 86, their poorest batting return in the league. On paper, a target below 170 should have been within reach for a side built around batting depth.
Quick facts
- Match: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Gujarat Titans (IPL 2026) on Tuesday
- Target for SRH: 169
- SRH finish: 86 all out (their lowest-ever IPL total)
- Top five SRH batters: none reached 15
- SRH top-scorer: Pat Cummins with 19 (off nine balls)
- Abhishek Sharma dismissal: out for 6 after facing 4 balls
- Travis Head dismissal: out for 0
The bigger issue for SRH was how little they got from their main order. None of their top five managed to cross the 15-run mark, leaving the chase to be carried by bits and pieces rather than sustained innings. With the batting failing early, the required rate only kept climbing as wickets fell.
Pat Cummins provided the lone bright spark late in the innings, finishing as SRH’s leading scorer with 19 from nine deliveries. But when the top of the card contributes almost nothing, even a quick cameo can’t change the final script.
Krishnamachari Srikkanth’s take drew additional attention to SRH’s decision-making, especially around dismissals in the opening overs. The former India batter was particularly critical of Abhishek Sharma’s first-over exit, after Abhishek departed for 6 off only four balls.
Srikkanth said Abhishek struck the opening delivery for six, but then appeared to rush the next phase of his approach. He questioned why the batter continued to charge after already looking vulnerable, arguing that getting out on the very next ball would have been a clear warning that needed to be respected. In his view, SRH’s batting can look effortless when things are going well, but the same application is required even when the match tightens.
He also pointed out that franchise cricket often produces players who win Orange Caps and other awards, yet that doesn’t remove the need for consistency in technique and temperament. The message was direct: the batters have to apply themselves, not just rely on momentum.
Turning to the other opener, Srikkanth was equally unimpressed with Travis Head’s zero. He argued that if SRH want to be treated like a championship side, they can’t afford batting performances that collapse at the start. He cited Rabada’s ability to deliver high-speed bowling with a length and line that forces batters into mistakes, saying the ball was consistently on the stumps at Test-match distances.
Srikkanth added that Head hasn’t managed to connect properly across the season, describing his earlier impact as coming in a limited number of games where chances went his way through dropped catches. He suggested that when a batter recognizes they are not timing the ball, they should avoid reckless shot-making.
In his final assessment, Srikkanth questioned SRH’s shot selection and spacing of risk: playing on the on-side and then getting dismissed to third man is a pattern that shouldn’t be repeated. He also noted that SRH’s bowlers had sensed the pitch could be tough for medium-pace bowling, asking whether the top order should have adapted more quickly to conditions and opponent tactics rather than attempting blind slogging.
