BOWLERS CALL THE SHOTS AS BATTING DOMINANCE DECLINES

Smart tactics and measured risk give them the advantage

- A.K.S. SATISH

White-ball cricket used to be a batter's playground. Not anymore. In Indian Premier League Season 18, bowlers have flipped the script cutting down sixes, shrinking targets, and forcing batters to rethink their game.

Sunrisers Hyderabad haven't caught on. The team that lit up IPL 2024 with monster scores is struggling to keep up this year stuck in the same high-risk mode that brought them glory a season ago.

Since smashing 286 for 4 in the opener the second-highest total in IPL history Sunrisers haven't crossed 200. On Sunday, they managed just 152 for 8 at home. Gujarat Titans chased it down with ease, sealing a seven-wicket win and climbing to second place on the table.

Mohammed Siraj set the tone early with career-best figures of 4 for 17. Rashid Khan and Prasidh Krishna picked up two wickets each, leaving Hyderabad's batting in tatters.