Sunrisers Hyderabad pulled off yet another miracle this week, defending 146 runs and – to be more precise – it came down to 25 runs off three overs with two set batsman at the crease, including the dangerous Colin de Grandhomme.
This year didn’t start on a positive note for SRH, as they lost their captain and star batsman David Warner to a year-long ban, then lost Billy Stanlake midway through the tournament.
Shikhar Dhawan filled the skipper’s spot with few decent knocks in first two outings, but has since gone off the boil, while expensive buy Manish Pandey has disappointed, striking at 112 and less than 200 runs in ten innings.
However, their bowling has been class, with Bhuvaneshwar Kumar becoming a world-class swing bowler and near-perfect death bowler, churning out yorker after yorker.
Rashid Khan has had batsmen in all kinds of trouble and the fact he got Royal Challengers Bangalore’s best player, AB de Villers, out shows he isn’t afraid to take on a challenge.
Siddharth Kaul has been the perfect foil for Kumar, while Shakib Al Hasan is an excellent spinner.
Meanwhile, they still have Mohammad Nabi and hard-hitting batsman Carlos Brathwaite waiting in the wings, along with Sandeep Sharma, Basil Thampi, and Deepak Hooda.
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Even with depleted resources, SRH were the first team to qualify for the play-offs, and would like to be table toppers so as to get two chances for the final spot.
Credit must be given to the coaching staff, comprising VVS Laxman, Tom Moddy and Muttiah Muralitharan. They have led this team to defend seemingly indefensible scores four times now.
For opposition, the only way it looks possible to defeat SRH is to get them out for 50 or take their bowling completely out of the equation.
Despite a lack of big names and general setbacks, Sunrisers Hyderabad have risen above all the big guns to sit atop the table.
With nothing to lose, they are the team to beat in the IPL.
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