‘Trying to hit six when you need 160!’: Rajeev Shukla baffled by SRH’s batting

Former IPL president and BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla has weighed in on Sunrises Hyderabad’s humiliating defeat at the hands of Gujarat Titans, raising questions about the batting methods that led to their dramatic collapse in Ahmedabad.GT’s all-round dominant performance saw them top the IPL 2026 standings with an 82-match winning streak. After being asked to bat first, Gujarat posted 168/5 thanks to Sai Sudharsan’s 61 and Washington Sundar’s crucial half-century.In reply, SRH’s explosive batting line-up failed miserably and were bowled out for just 86 runs in 14.5 overs. Gujarat’s bowling attack devastates Hyderabad Jason Holder and Kamuzeng Rabada Each took three wickets.

Post-match, Rajeev Shukla gave an interesting reaction on X, criticizing SRH for displaying an overly aggressive batting mentality despite chasing a manageable total.“Why lose a wicket by trying to hit a six as soon as the wicket comes when only 160 runs need to be scored” – Shukla wrote on X.(“Why lose wickets trying to hit a six from the start when you just need to score 160?”)In T20 cricket, a target of 169 is often considered a chaseable one, especially for a batting line-up that features power batsmen such as Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma and Heinrich Klaasen. However, SRH’s signature attacking style backfired badly against Gujarat’s disciplined bowling attack.Despite heavy defeat, SRH head coach Daniel Vettori defended his batting unit and characterized the performance as a rare off day rather than a larger issue.“We knew we needed to get off to a strong start and unfortunately we weren’t able to do that tonight,” Vettori said after the game. “If Gujarat had scored 200, the chase would have been very difficult, but at 169 we sincerely believed we had a chance.”He added that the team remained committed to its aggressive philosophy and refused to blame the batsmen for a poor game.“Our batting team has performed well all season long. Every team in the IPL goes through some hiccups at some stage and tonight was ours. We knew exactly how we wanted to play and the conditions we faced,” Vettori concluded.