Matthew Hayden calls them Gujarat Titans' "apex predators" and the super-powered batting unit of Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler have enjoyed feasting upon another hapless attack in their IPL title assault.
The Australian great has been helping hone the triumvirate in his role as batting coach with the Ahmedabad-based team, and they've all sworn by his positive work which helped them race to a win on Thursday that secures the Titans' top-two spot in the playoffs.
Against outclassed Chennai Super Kings, Sudharsan crashed 84no off 53 balls, for a fifth consecutive half-century, and shared in a 125-run first-wicket stand off 12.2 overs with captain Gill (64 off 37), a record-breaking seventh century stand between them.
Then Buttler came to the party at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium, hammering 57no off 27 balls, with five fours and four sixes, to help rocket the Titans to a total of 4-229 that Chennai never looked remotely like challenging as they succumbed to 140 all out for an 89-run defeat, their heaviest in the IPL.
"We have just got so many apex predators at the top of the batting order, that one, two, three is such a solid unit," said former Test opener Hayden after their recent defeat of Rajasthan Royals.
Hayden's right about their predatory instincts. Between them, Sudharsan, who's the IPL's orange cap holder as top-scorer with 638 runs, Gill, who's second best in the league with 616, and Buttler, who's scored 469, have amassed 1723 runs this season, with a combined 83 sixes.
Their latest effort made it hard work for Chennai's Australian paceman Spencer Johnson, who went for 1-47, although he did eventually nab the wicket of Gill.
When Chennai replied, Aussie Matthew Short cracked 24 off 14 at the top of the order but was dismissed by Kagiso Rabada, who like his equally high-quality opening partner Mohammed Siraj, ended up with three wickets.
Talking of "apex predators", Rajasthan, currently fourth, will qualify if they win their final match on Sunday against Mumbai - and they'll be relying on their amazing 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to get them there, otherwise either Ricky Ponting-coached Punjab or Cameron Green's Kolkata could edge past.
The teen's batting has been so freakish, as he's crashed 53 sixes this campaign, that Justin Langer, Lucknow's coach, noted after his side had been pummelled at the weekend: "I've seen some amazing players in 35 years of cricket, but to see a young man bat like that, throughout the series, is breathtaking.
"The scary thing going forward, if the expressions on the face of Mitch Starc and Anrich Nortje and every bowler tell a story now, is what about when he learns how to bat?!
"My gosh, he's so young. He's a brilliant, brilliant player and it's a real privilege to watch him bat actually."
