Sunrisers Hyderabad had quiet years during the last several editions of the IPL. There was an issue with the then captain David Warner who was removed from the contact list of the franchise owners and till date, is unaware of what was his mistake. They were smashed in the final against Kolkatta. It was a tame surrender from a team that threatened to rewrite how T20 IPL must be played. However, it does not take away the spectacular season that SRH had. First, they rectified the player selection during the auction. Eyebrows were raised when Cummins was picked for a whopping 20+ Crores. Then, they filled the team with hitters who are capable of hitting the ball over the boundary right from the first delivery. Then, Cummins’s impressive run continued.
After the Tim Paine texting-gate, the Australian captaincy was handed over to Pat Cummins. There were several schools of thought as to, how it was unwise to handover the job to a bowler. How bowlers were not that frequently considered for captaincy? So on and so forth. Cummins dispensed those theories emphatically. An impressive Ashes win in Australia was followed up with an equally drawn Ashes series in England. Cummins sought and conquered the WTC finals with India never being in the game. Then came the ultimate price in ODI cricket, the World Cup. In about 3 years, Cummins’s CV has been so impressive that the Australian selectors must be lauded for trusting him with the captaincy.
Cummins even threatened to win the IPL in the very first attempt. It will be safe to assume that it was because of the captaincy skills of Cummins and his man-management skills that SRH managed to not only reach the finals but to dominate some of the games.
Sensational batting
The opening combination. Both Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma were deadly at the top of the order. Travis Head we all know what he is capable of after twin hundreds in finals. WTC and ODI World Cup. The speed at which he scores those runs will demoralise any opposition bowler. He has a weakness against the shortball but unlike a Shreyas Iyer, he has managed to circumvent that shortcoming and has found a way to score runs. Head has understood that it is not necessary that the runs scored must be pleasing to the eye. At the end of the day, it is runs and wickets that determines a winner and a loser. Head is much wiser for choosing runs over quality. The chase against Lucknow Super Giants where the openers overhauled a score of 166 in just 9.4 overs tells its own tale.
The media then covered the ungainly sight of the LSG owner lashing captain Rahul.
Abhishek Sharma was a revelation. 484 runs at a strike rate of over 200. Remember that he didn’t bat for more than 30 deliveries throughout the tournament. His bowling ability was under utilised until the 2nd qualifier where he picked up Sanju Samson and Hetmyer. He could consider himself unlucky for not being in the Indian team for the World Cup. Perhaps, he could have replaced either Pandya or Dube.
If Head and Sharma were belligerent at the top, Heinrich Klassen was bellicose in the middle. He complimented the efforts of the owners and propelled SRH into realms that the opposition found difficult to overcome. 479 runs at 171 for a batsman who comes in at the fag end of the innings is not a mean achievement.
A decision that paid dividends
It was easily the appointment of Cummins as the captain. Aiden Markaram was leading the side until last year. We would not know whether the SRH management was looking for a change in captaincy and it was with that intention that they decided to splurge a heavy sum of Cummins. His appointment as the captain swung the fortune of the franchise in a positive way. Whatever he touches, seems to be turning into gold.
High point of the tournament
Ransacking of Bangalore to the tune of 287 runs. At one stage, they threatened to breach the 300 runs barrier but agonisingly fell short. In the previous game, they pummelled Mumbai to the tune of 277 runs. These games showcased the batting ability of SRH at its best.
The bowling
The Indian pair of Kumar and Natarajan once again proved their effectiveness. Natarajan who after a sensational few months with the Indian team, having made his debut in all the 3 formats, was missed because of an injury. Now, he has recovered well enough to nail those yorkers time and time again. The lack of ability with the bat will be the reason he may not again play for the nation. If he could atleast develop a defensive game, capable of holding one end, he could be an asset. Kumar is another who is sorely missed by the Indian team but for SRH, he showed his prowess when he defended 2 runs of the last ball against Rajasthan.
Low point of the tournament
Certainly the final. During the entire tournament, it was the batting that kept SRH in the game throughout. They more or less outplayed their opposition time and again. It was the same batting that let them down at the most inopportune moment. In the most one sided final, SRH looked rudderless. The peach that Starc delivered to get rid of Head set the tone for the evening from which SRH never recovered.
Wrapping up Cummins’s impressive run continued
If SRH can retain 3 players, it will have to be Cummins for his leadership qualities in bringing about a turnaround, Abhishek Sharma for his ability to open the innings and also roll his arm over and a toss up between Head or Klassen.