IPL 2022 | GT vs SRH | How to stop Gujarat's winning wagon?

Gujarat Titans (GT) will be squaring off against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the 40th match of Indian Premier League 2022 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. In their previous encounter earlier this season, Kane Williamson's Orange Army got the better of the Titans.

However, the Hardik Pandya-led side has looked invincible, barring that lone match. They have won six out of seven matches and are sitting pretty in the top half of the points table. 

Heading into the match, SRH will look to stop GT's winning wagon and continue with their winning streak. The Orange Army are on a five-match winning streak, but making it six looks a touch difficult considering the form of GT.

Let us take a look at the strengths of GT before we discover a plan to stop them.

Strengths of Gujarat Titans

1. Hardik Pandya - In IPL 2022, Hardik Pandya has scored 295 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 136.57 and an RPI of 49.16. He has been responsible with the bat in hand and has led from the front.

2. Everyone Chipping In - While the skipper has played the perfect role of an anchor, someone or the other has put their hands up and taken the responsibility to get them over the line.

3. Mohammad Shami and Rashid Khan-  The duo have bowled 56 overs between them and conceded 384 runs at an economy of 6.85, sharing 18 wickets. 

To emerge victorious in the match tonight, SRH will have to keep these strengths of GT in mind and plan accordingly.

What should SRH's plan be?

1. Getting rid of Pandya: The opening pair of GT has not fired big thus far, and the onus has been on the skipper Hardik Pandya. However, SRH will have to dismiss Hardik early in his innings to expose a relatively inexperienced GT middle order.

Let us look at Pandya's performance against different types of bowling.

Table: Hardik Pandya vs different types of bowling in T20s

Observations: Hardik Pandya has a relatively lower strike rate against leg-spin. While he has been dismissed on every 16th ball against the left-arm pacers.

Plan against Hardik: Tonight might be the right day for SRH to include Shreyas Gopal in the first eleven and use him against Hardik. They also have quality left-arm bowlers in Marco Jansen and T Natarajan, who can be handy against the batter as he struggles against left-arm pace.

Hardik also struggles against short balls at a rapid pace. Thus, Umran Malik will be an exciting option against Pandya early in his innings. Accordingly, Williamson must treat Hardik with one short burst from Malik as soon as he walks in.

2. Ensuring the lower middle order of GT does not fire: The GT batting has centred around Hardik Pandya; players like Miller and Tewatia have chipped in and kept the scoring rate high. 

David Miller: The South African international enjoys playing against pace and finds it very easy to get going against them. But there is a visible weakness that he has against left-arm pacers. His strike rate against left-arm pacers might be 140 plus, but he gets dismissed every 19 deliveries. SRH has an ideal bowler for David Miller in T.Natarajan, who can challenge him with the yorkers and slower balls.

Rahul Tewatia: If the team is in trouble, Tewatia is the one who tends to step up. While Tewatia is brilliant in the death overs under pressure, his batting has a visible pattern. The release shot for the southpaw is a slog-sweep over the square leg region. It becomes easy to slog-sweep if there is pace on offer. 

Therefore, the plan against him should be to bowl in the good length area, take the pace off the bowl, and the line should be consistently outside off with occasional bouncers.

3. Handling Shami & Rashid: The most significant advantage for SRH will be the presence of Kane Williamson at the top of the order against Mohammed Shami. Williamson has a strike rate of 140 plus against Shami. Moreover, the Indian pacer tends to dismiss the Kiwi batter every 17 deliveries; hence, the face-off is relatively even.

But Williamson's composure and technical capabilities will be an advantage for the Men in Orange. Other batters should look to play Shami out and take the attack against others. But can they afford to go after Rashid Khan? The answer is pretty simple; it is a big no. The Afghan spin king gains confidence if he picks up a wicket early in his spell. So, targeting the 5th bowling option seems to be the best way out.