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Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach Daniel Vettori refused to turn on his batting unit despite a crushing collapse against Gujarat Titans, insisting the franchise’s record-low total in a losing cause was nothing more than a rare blip in an otherwise outstanding IPL 2026 campaign.
SRH were blown away for just 86 in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, their lowest-ever total in IPL history in a defeat, as Gujarat Titans produced a ruthless bowling display to storm into the playoffs as the first team to secure qualification.
Defending 169 on a lively black-soil surface, GT’s pace attack dismantled Hyderabad from the outset. Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada ripped through the top order, removing four batters early to leave SRH’s chase in tatters before it had a chance to settle. Jason Holder then maintained the squeeze with immaculate lengths, while Prasidh Krishna and Rashid Khan ensured there was no route back for the visitors.
Despite the scale of the collapse, Vettori made it clear that one poor outing would not change his view of a batting group that has been one of the most dangerous units in the competition.
“But as always, you have to start well, and we didn’t tonight. That’s what happens,” Vettori said after the match.
“I don’t put any blame on the batting unit. They’ve been exceptional this year. Every team throughout the IPL is going to have their small blips once in a while, and ours was tonight. I don’t see any reason why they won’t bounce back.”
Vettori admitted Hyderabad’s chase effectively unravelled in the powerplay, with GT’s relentless pressure making recovery nearly impossible.
“We always want to get off to a good start. That’s our M.O. through the powerplay. Today, even though they bowled exceptionally well, there were a couple of fortunate dismissals with the first two wickets,” he said.
“From there, it was tough to really regroup, and they just kept putting pressure on.”
While the batting collapse grabbed attention, Vettori also defended his own bowling unit, pointing out that restricting a powerful Gujarat side to 169 had initially left SRH believing they were firmly in the contest.
“We don’t expect our bowling unit to be perfect,” he said.
“I thought Sakib’s last over was brilliant. Pat front-ended himself because we wanted to keep trying to take wickets, and that’s what he was able to do. He had an exceptional spell.”
“Maybe one over from Malinga was slightly expensive, but once again, he’s been absolutely amazing for us this year. Restricting them to 170 was a very good job.”
That optimism lasted only briefly, as Gujarat’s fast bowlers turned the chase into a demolition.
Sunrisers Hyderabad will now turn their attention to a crucial trip to Chennai, where they face fellow playoff contenders CSK as the league stage enters its final stretch.
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