Published: May 4, 2026 at 3:48 pm
Gujarat Titans held their nerve and recorded a four-wicket thriller against Punjab Kings with Washington Sundar hitting Marcus Stoinis for a six off the second last ball of the innings to seal the issue in Ahmedabad on Sunday night.
Chasing 164 for a win was not an easy thing as the wicket was not really conducive for strokeplay but Gujarat Titans kept their composure to notch up a credible win.
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“I mean we had to be little calculative on the wicket. Can’t get boundaries off good, hard-length balls. Play the field really well and get boundaries now and then. Worked out today. I mean, Arshad bats really well, I was just asking him to enjoy the moment and back his strengths. Boundaries he hit earlier in the over, paid off really well,” said Sundar after the game.
Washington Sundar and Arshad Khan celebrate Gujarat Titans victory over Punjab Kings in Ahmedabad on Sunday night
Former India player Ravichandran Ashwin was all praise for his statemate Sundar. “Washington Sundar’s innings was extremely important because it addressed a key question around Gujarat Titans’ middle order. While a lot of their runs come from the top three, contributions like this show the depth they have. Sundar has often been used as a flexible option, but he stepped up, handled the pressure well, and ensured the chase was completed. It might not have looked flashy, but it was a very composed and clinical effort to get the team over the line,” Ashwin told JioHotstar’s Google Search AI Mode Match Centre Live.
Titans were incredibly composed in the chase: Ashwin
Ashwin also lavished praise on GT’s approach in the chase. “Gujarat Titans were once again incredibly composed in the way they approached the chase. Their batting may not always look explosive, but it’s highly methodical and built around understanding conditions. On pitches like these, where 160–170 is a competitive score, it’s about controlling the game and executing your plans rather than chasing big numbers. They’ve shown remarkable consistency over the years with this approach, and credit goes to both, the management and the players, for sticking to their process and getting the job done under pressure,” he stated.
What stood out was Sai Sudharsan composure in challenging conditions. He built key partnerships and ensured the chase stayed on track, said Mitchell McClenaghan
Sudharsan controlled the game throughout: McClenaghan
Speaking about the consistency of opener Sai Sudharsan, Mitchell McClenaghan said: “Sai Sudharsan is in excellent form. Once he gets going, he tends to carry that momentum through the innings. What stood out was his composure in challenging conditions. He built key partnerships and ensured the chase stayed on track. From Punjab Kings’ perspective, they didn’t quite adjust their plans to him. They allowed him to access his strengths, especially square of the wicket, and kept offering pace, which suited him. At this level, you need to adapt to the batter, even if conditions suggest otherwise. He never really had to step out of his comfort zone and controlled the game throughout.”
Jason Holder consistently hit that hard length, right around the six-to-eight metre mark, which made life difficult for the batters, said Mitchell McClenaghan. Pic: BCCI
Holder was outstanding with his length
On Jason Holder’s spell, he said: “Jason Holder was outstanding because of his discipline with length. He consistently hit that hard length, right around the six-to-eight metre mark, which made life difficult for the batters. With his height, the extra bounce becomes a real challenge; the ball climbs onto the splice and is hard to control. He didn’t offer width either. So, there were very few scoring opportunities. On top of that, he mixed in his variations smartly and even got some sideways movement later in the innings. It was a complete spell, perfectly suited to the conditions.”
