India, May 13 -- In an IPL season defined by batting mayhem, two teams scripted remarkable turnarounds on the back of their bowling attacks. Sunrisers Hyderabad had won six of their previous seven matches heading into Tuesday. Gujarat Titans arrived on a four-match winning streak. When the two sides clashed at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad with the top spot and a near-certain playoff berth at stake, the team with the stronger bowling resurgence came out emphatically on top.

Sunrisers were handed a proper thrashing. Sai Sudharsan, whose innings-saving fifty had lifted Gujarat to 168, admitted during the innings break that he was unsure whether the total was even par on the surface. Sunil Gavaskar, who had termed the wicket a belt...