Kagiso Rabada produced a pace-bowling clinic that reduced Sunrisers Hyderabad to rubble and propelled Gujarat Titans to the summit of the Indian Premier League table on Tuesday night. The South African spearhead’s figures of 3-28 headlined a ruthless demolition job that saw the visitors skittled for a humiliating 86, their lowest score in IPL history.

An 82-run thrashing barely tells half the story. This was total annihilation, a masterclass in swing, seam and unrelenting pressure that left Hyderabad’s vaunted batting line-up in tatters at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Gujarat defended a modest 168 with ease, their pace quartet hunting in packs to rip through the opposition in just 14.5 overs of one-sided cricket.

Jason Holder joined the destruction with 3-20 from his four overs, mopping up the middle and lower order after Rabada had already broken Hyderabad’s spine. By the time Rashid Khan trapped Praful Hinge lbw for the final wicket, the visitors had long since surrendered.

Pace attack hunts in packs

Gujarat skipper Shubman Gill couldn’t hide his satisfaction at watching his bowlers execute to perfection.

“Worked out for us nicely,” said Gill with typical understatement. “We bowled very well. We knew if we bowled well, we would always be in the game.”

That proved prophetic. Mohammed Siraj struck the opening blow in the very first over of Hyderabad’s doomed chase, dismissing the dangerous Travis Head for a golden duck with just the fourth delivery of the innings. The Australian opener, who has terrorised bowling attacks throughout the tournament, trudged off without troubling the scorers.

Rabada picked up the baton in the next over, removing Abhishek Sharma for a brief six before returning to strike twice more in quick succession. Skipper Ishan Kishan edged behind to Jos Buttler for 11, then Ravichandran Smaranto miscued tamely to Gill at mid-off for nine. Hyderabad were 31/4 and sinking fast.

The wickets kept tumbling. Holder entered the attack and immediately wreaked havoc, claiming two scalps in a single over. Even Heinrich Klaasen, who top-scored with 14 to reclaim pole position in this season’s batting charts with 508 runs, couldn’t mount resistance. The South African, normally so destructive with the bat, departed with Hyderabad already dead and buried.

Rabada’s finds perfect groove

Named player of the match for his devastating spell, Rabada reflected on the performance with the calm assurance of a master craftsman.

“Season in, season out, all you try to do is do the best you can,” the 29-year-old said. “I have been backed and it has been clear what my role has been: leave everything out for the team. Rhythm is everything. And for me, it’s about bowling as much as I can, but also preserving myself to be match-ready.”

It’s that rhythm, that makes Rabada one of the most feared fast bowlers on the planet. When he’s dialled in, as he was on Tuesday, batsmen have precious few answers.

On Gujarat’s devastating pace unit, Rabada offered insight into how the quartet complement each other.

“We each have our own natural attributes that we bring as bowlers,” he explained. “And then it’s about seeing how much you can extract off those attributes without looking too far ahead.”

Table-topping statement

The comprehensive victory catapulted former champions Gujarat above both Hyderabad and defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru to claim top spot on the 10-team table. More crucially, it moved them tantalizingly close to securing a playoff berth with the business end of the tournament rapidly approaching.

Gujarat now boast 16 points from 12 matches courtesy of eight victories, positioning them as favourites to finish in the top two after the league stage concludes. That would prove invaluable – the top two teams receive an extra opportunity to reach the final in Ahmedabad on 31 May, effectively getting two bites at the cherry in the playoff structure.

With the top four progressing to the knockout stages, Gujarat have one hand firmly on qualification. Hyderabad, meanwhile, must regroup quickly after suffering the indignity of their lowest-ever IPL total.