In their first game of the 2025 IPL, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) ended up with a massive 286 on the board. It was just one short of SRH’s record-breaking total of 287, which they compiled during last year’s IPL. At that juncture, SRH also had composed four of the five high scores in the annals of IPL. For a moment, it seemed as if no team would be able to stop the SRH juggernaut. However, as the cliche goes, cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties. Just two games later, SRH find themselves in a spot of bother. They currently sit at a lowly eighth spot, having lost two matches in a row.
Here, it has to be noted that in any league-based tournament, most teams go through ups and downs. Having said that, there could be a few problem areas that need the immediate attention of the coaching staff. For starters, do they need to rethink their blueprint of going all guns blazing right through the innings?
In limited-overs cricket, especially in T20s, PowerPlay overs are very important. In that context, the management would undoubtedly back the dynamic opening duo of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma to play with complete freedom. The pair have constructed three of the five high scores in the Powerplay overs in the IPL. And a couple of below-par performances shouldn’t be a barometer to judge their class and quality.
Probably the worry-line for SRH is more about how they seem to collapse in a heap. It happened two times last year in the IPL finals, when they slid to 39 for 4 and 62 for 5 against the eventual champions, KKR. In the SRH-DC game, they were 37 for 4 before Aniket Verma’s rescue act. Maybe, when SRH lose a couple of wickets in the PowerPlay, a bit of consolidation over a few overs would help them to resurrect the innings.
Another cause for concern is their bowling unit. At 34, Mohammed Shami isn’t getting any younger; he has taken two wickets at an average of over 50, with an economy rate of around 11 in this IPL. Pat Cummins, the skipper, has himself gone at almost 13 an over.
In fact, Zeeshan Ansari, who made his IPL debut against DC, is currently topping their bowling charts with three scalps from one game. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that none of the bowlers figure in the list of top 10 wicket-takers for the ongoing IPL. One of the reasons for that are the flat wickets prepared back home, but they seem to lack a bit of firepower in the bowling department. On a side note, T Natarajan, their highest wicket-taker last year, was picked up by DC in the recent IPL mega auction.
The seasoned campaigners in the SRH think-tank won’t be ringing the alarm bells after a couple of losses. The coaching set-up would believe they have enough depth on the batting side of things, especially in the backdrop of Aniket turning out to be one of the finds of the season. However, small tweaks to their batting template could help in reshaping their fortunes. Alongside one of the bowlers showing some sparks of brilliance to galvanize the side.
Follow Revsportz for more
Also Read
The MS Dhoni Brand: As Big as the Game Itself
Shardul Thakur calls for ‘fair contest’ between bat and ball