Written by Megan Taylor, sports reporter covering international sports since 2020
GT vs SRH IPL 2026 began with Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins winning the toss and choosing to bowl first against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad.
Both sides entered the match on 14 points after 11 games, making the contest vital as the winner will move to the top of the Indian Premier League table.
The match follows another key Indian Premier League update, with Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Kolkata Knight Riders preparing for their Raipur clash, while official tournament updates are available on the Indian Premier League website.
Sunrisers Hyderabad Make One Change
Sunrisers Hyderabad came into the match in strong form, having won six of their previous seven games.
Cummins made one change to the side, bringing in fast bowler Praful Hinge as Sunrisers Hyderabad looked for early movement with the new ball.
Their bowling-first XI includes Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Kumar Reddy, R Smaran, Salil Arora, Cummins, Shivang Kumar, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain and Hinge.
Travis Head, Liam Livingstone, Aniket Verma, Harshal Patel and Harsh Dubey were named on the bench.
Gujarat Titans Stay Unchanged
Gujarat Titans kept the same XI after winning their previous four matches.
Shubman Gill said the surface "looks like a better wicket than we have had in the past couple of matches."
That comment matters because teams batting first at Ahmedabad managed only 155 and 163 for 9 in the last two matches at the venue.
Gujarat Titans also have a strong home record in this fixture, having beaten Sunrisers Hyderabad in all three Ahmedabad meetings since 2023.
Top Spot on the Line
Gujarat Titans will rely on Gill, Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler to set up the innings before their attack takes over.
Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj and Rashid Khan give the hosts a strong bowling core, while Sunrisers Hyderabad will aim to keep the chase under control on a surface both teams expect to play better.
