IPL 2019 | Teams should never get complacent in IPL, says Kane Williamson

The Sunrisers Hyderabad had lost their first match of the tournament but came back strong with three back-to-back wins. But since then, it has been a downfall for the team, as they have lost three matches on the trot. The 2016 champions are in a spot of bother as they are now placed at the sixth position on the points table. Skipper Kane Williamson remarked that any team cannot become complacent in a competitive tournament like the Indian Premier League.

“No, never any complacency in a tournament like this. Any team on the table can beat anybody,” stated Williamson, at the post-match presentation ceremony, reported PTI.

SRH rely heavily on their top order, and their middle order has been their Achilles heel. The openers David Warner and Jonny Bairstow have 704 runs combined in just seven matches and Warner also holds the Orange Cap with 400 runs, at the moment. The return of the Kiwi skipper has bolstered their batting as the middle order has given measly returns thus far, failing to win any matches for the team. Williamson credited the opening duo while also being positive about his team’s chances in the upcoming games.

“For us, it's about executing our plans and play our style of cricket. It's one of those things. The two at the top of the order have been prolific. Delhi adapted well on this surface and used their changes of pace,” said Williamson.

In Sunday’s match, the SRH bowlers bowled extremely well to restrict Delhi Capitals to 155. Khaleel Ahmed, who played his first match of the tournament, and only his second in the cash-rich league, returned with figures of 3/30. Bhuvneshwar Kumar scalped two wickets followed by Rashid Khan and Abhishek Sharma's one each. The bowlers tied the DC batsmen to the ground, particularly Khan, who only gave 22 runs in his quota of four overs. 

“I thought the first half with the ball was a really good effort. It was a bare surface, probably a 160 surface,” explained the 28-year-old.

The Sunrisers once again got an excellent start, only to be wasted by the middle order. The openers scored 92 runs in total, whereas the rest of the team could only manage 19 runs and were wrapped up for 116 runs inside 19 overs. The pace duo of Kagiso Rabada and Keemo Paul were the wreckers in chief and the skipper did not fail to credit them for their performance.

“We tried in the second half but never got going with partnerships. Unfortunate performance but credit to Delhi the way they played,” he signed off.