After registering a brilliant win against table-toppers Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Match 47 of IPL 2026 on Sunday, May 03, Gujarat Titans (GT) have received words of praise from Mitchell McClenaghan. The former cricketer has particularly lauded the knock played by Sai Sudharsan in the top order as GT chased down 164 in the last-over thriller.
McClenaghan was impressed by the way Sudharsan shaped his 57 off 41 to anchor the run chase before departing in the fifteenth over. The former fast bowler believes that PBKS’ bowling attack was at the mercy of Sudharsan in a knock that looked like slow death for the visiting side.
“Sai Sudharsan is in excellent form. Once he gets going, he tends to carry that momentum through the innings. What stood out was his composure in challenging conditions. He built key partnerships and ensured the chase stayed on track. From Punjab Kings’ perspective, they didn’t quite adjust their plans to him,” he said via JioStar.
“They allowed him to access his strengths, especially square of the wicket, and kept offering pace, which suited him. At this level, you need to adapt to the batter, even if conditions suggest otherwise. He never really had to step out of his comfort zone and controlled the game throughout,” McClenaghan added.
McClenaghan also lauded all-rounder Jason Holder for his composed spell with the ball, where he picked up four wickets while giving away just 24 runs off his four overs on a tricky surface at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Holder accounted for the key dismissals of PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer, Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis, and Xavier Bartlett.
“Jason Holder was outstanding because of his discipline with length. He consistently hit that hard length, right around the six-to-eight metre mark, which made life difficult for the batters. With his height, the extra bounce becomes a real challenge; the ball climbs onto the splice and is hard to control, he said.
He didn’t offer width either. So, there were very few scoring opportunities. On top of that, he mixed in his variations smartly and even got some sideways movement later in the innings. It was a complete spell, perfectly suited to the conditions,” the former New Zealand international added.
