After making a sensational start to the Indian Premier League season, Sunrisers Hyderabad’s campaign has nosedived after their win in the opening fixture against Rajasthan Royals. Last year’s finalists will host Gujarat Titans at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, in Hyderabad, later today and the home team will be desperate to reverse their fortunes. After posting the highest innings total in IPL history in their win against RR, SRH has suffered three consecutive defeats, losing to Lucknow Super Giants, Delhi Capitals, and defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders. This has seen the Hyderabad side slump to rock bottom in the IPL table.
However, skipper Pat Cummins is not fazed in the face of such uncertainty. Speaking to the official broadcaster Star Sport India, the Australian fast bowler said: “Look, it started out with pretty much as well as we could have played, which is great for a new squad. And then, you know, the last two games have been…haven’t really gone to plan, we haven’t been at our best, probably haven’t had the luck you sometimes hope for.
“So, you know, we’d like to have more wins but really happy with how the group’s going, everyone’s really positive. There’s still a long way in the tournament,” he added.
SRH will face an uphill task against a confident Gujarat Titans, who have recovered from their opening fixture loss by winning back to back games. And with a slight upper hand in this rivalry – GT have 3 wins against SRH’s 1 – Cummins’s side will need to bring their A-game against the 2022 IPL champions.
Calculated aggression
SRH’s skipper feels they have the batting power to come out of this slump, which they displayed in the opening game. “I think most of our players are quite aggressive. In the first game (vs RR), where we got 280 odd, the thing that stood out for me was that it wasn’t reckless, it was calculated aggression. I think we’re lucky that we got such strength that it’s never just blind swinging and our guys are actually well suited to striking close to 200. So, that’s what we always encourage,” Cummins opined.
SRH will need all that batting firepower if they are to overcome their opponents today in Hyderabad and will look to their top order to deliver the goods, as they did so last season enroute to a runners-up finish.
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