IPL 2019 | What worked and what didn't - Sunrisers Hyderabad

On the back of just six wins from the league stages, Sunrisers Hyderabad were thanking their stars for a playoff spot this season. No team has ever made it to the playoffs with just 12 points in their basket, and SRH were an exception due to their relatively better net run-rate, which was a result of Jonny Bairstow and David Warner’s brilliance in most of the games. 

What worked? 

First and foremost, Bairstow’s pick was an insane one by SRH in the auctions for a modest price of 2.2 crores. For the kind of form Bairtsow has been in; it was only about time when he wreaked havoc in a tournament like the Indian Premier League. With a firing Warner at one end, SRH found the ideal opening combination with Bairstow in the ranks. They were like a double-edged sword, which cuts both ways and haunted best of the bowling attacks with their belligerence and elegance. 

If Warner won’t get you, Bairstow will! In IPL, it’s a rare scenario when Warner is being overshadowed and Bairstow did that time and again. The duo kick-started the tournament with three back-to-back centuries stands including a record one against RCB (185). They stitched a total of 791 runs in 10 innings together, which is also the highest by an opening pair in the IPL. 

Khaleel Ahmed’s knack of picking wickets

SRH were unfortunate to miss out on Ahmed in the first leg, but the left-arm pacer proved his worth on his return straight away by picking wickets. Although he leaked few runs here and there, he covered up for that with ample number of wickets and 19 scalps from nine games says the story. He almost pulled off a miracle in the final over of the Eliminator, where he tightened the noose around DC batsmen, but missed out by a whisker. 

In cricket, small things can make huge differences and Manish Pandey’s promotion at three is a testament to it. After a series of hot and cold performances, Pandey grabbed the opportunity with both the hands on his first game at three this season by smashing an unbeaten 83 against CSK. His success there bought him ample time at the top and the explosive batsman repaid the faith with interest. In six innings at the said position, Pandey crossed the 30-run mark five times including three fifties which pretty much speaks volumes of his effectiveness. He looked like a different batsman altogether the moment he took guard at three. 

Rashid Khan’s staggering consistency

What didn’t work? 

Vulnerable middle-order

Vijay Shankar, Deepak Hooda and Yusuf Pathan failed to do anything of substance in the middle-order, which cost them massively once Warner and Bairstow were unavailable. This has been the problem for a while now and it haunted them this season as well. Williamson was marred by injuries for most of the season while Mohammad Nabi and others struggled with consistency. 

After being named in the World Cup squad, all eyes were set on Vijay Shankar, but the all-rounder disappointed more often than not. He got few impressive starts but failed to convert into substantial scores. He garnered just 244 runs from 15 games at an average of just over 20, which is by far not the kind of numbers you expect from a member of the World Cup squad. 

Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s ordinary season

Over the years, SRH have earned a reputation of being a bowling powerhouse, they have defended low scores on a consistent basis, but the same magic was seen to be wanting this season. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is known to swing the new ball and get early breakthroughs, which was not seen this season. In fact, his yorkers too went for a toss and leaked runs at crucial stages. His parched run affected SRH massively as he is the spearhead of the bowling attack and was expected to lead with example. With just 13 wickets at an economy of 7.81 is not something you associate Bhuvneshwar Kumar with.