Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], : Gujarat Titans (GT) all-rounder Washington Sundar expressed his happiness after the team defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 on Sunday. Sundar went on to play outstanding innings in the 19th match of the current 18th edition of the lucrative league.

In his brief innings, Sundar scored 49 runs off of only 29 balls, including two maximums and five boundaries. These runs were made by the 25-year-old cricket player at an incredible strike rate of 168.97.

In the fourth over of the chase, when the Gujarat Titans were down at 16/2 and had lost both of their seasoned batsmen, Jos Buttler (0) and Sai Sudarshan (5), very cheaply, the left-hander stepped out to the middle.

The southpaw and skipper Shubman Gill formed a crucial partnership of 90 runs from 56 balls after starting at 16/2 in 3.5 overs. At Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, the visitors easily defeated the Pat Cummins-led team by seven wickets thanks to this partnership.

The athlete, who was born in Chennai, spoke about what Shubman Gill told him when he joined him in the middle to bat.

“You should point out all the adjectives. The captain wanted to see my team win the game, so he urged me to bat as deep as I could. In recent years, Hyderabad has seen a trend where the wicket improves somewhat, making it simpler to chase 160–170. I knew about it, and it was beneficial. After we lost a few wickets in the first overs, the coach asked me to enter at four. During the post-match presentation, Washington Sundar said, “I loved my time in the middle, and it was a rare opportunity for me.”

When the game started, GT won the toss and SRH was sent to bat first. As the team was down to 50/3, Travis Head (8), Abhishek Sharma (18), and Ishan Kishan (17) in the top order once again performed poorly. SRH reached 152/8 in their 20 overs thanks to a 50-run partnership between Heinrich Klaasen (27 in 19 balls, with two fours and a six) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (31 in 34 balls, with three fours), as well as a cameo by captain Pat Cummins (22* in nine balls, with three fours and a six).

Sai Kishore (2/24) and Prasidh Krishna (2/25) both displayed remarkable ball skills.

With two wickets lost for 16 runs, GT got off to a rough start in the 153-run chase. Sherfane Rutherford (35* in 16 balls, with six fours and a six) handled the finishing brilliantly as the target was chased down with 20 balls and seven wickets remaining. However, SRH lost the match in one big swoop due to a spectacular 90-run stand between captain Shubman Gill (61 in 43 balls, with nine fours) and Washington Sundar (49 in 29 balls, with five fours and two sixes).

Siraj’s outstanding bowling effort earned him the title of Player of the Match.