IPL 2026: ‘It’s a part of our team that we really encourage’ Vettori ahead of GT test

Daniel Vettori

The race for the top spot in the Indian Premier League is set to intensify at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Tuesday, with Ahmedabad bracing for soaring temperatures of around 45 degrees Celsius when Gujarat Titans take on Sunrisers Hyderabad.

The winner will rise to the top of the 10-team table, solidifying their place in the Playoffs. SRH stay ahead of the GT with 14 points due to a better net run-rate.

Both teams play contrasting styles, but the top three form the core of the batting might for both sides. The three southpaws - Abhishek Sharma (475 runs), Travis Head (338) and Ishan Kishan (409 runs) - play very aggressively to give SRH a rapid start, and Heinrich Klaasen (494 runs) has complemented their efforts by holding the middle order together.

Since their loss to Mumbai Indians after being bowled out for 100, GT have dropped three middle-order batters, but except for one half-century by Washington Sundar, nobody has consolidated the start given by the likes of Shubman Gill (462 runs), Sai Sudharsan (440) and Jos Buttler (335) at the top.

When asked if their top-order batters would continue to bat aggressively, SRH head coach Daniel Vettori said, "The style comes very naturally to the players that we have in the team, particularly the top three batters that have been exceptional this year. They've all, at times, been able to dominate and put a lot of pressure on opposition. So, it's a part of our team that we really encourage."