India

When Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) began their IPL 2024 campaign with a record-breaking chase that nearly touched 300, it seemed like they had unlocked a new era of fearless cricket. However, three heavy defeats later, the same ultra-aggressive approach with the bat has left them languishing at the bottom of the table, exposing a long-standing concern—an inconsistent and underwhelming bowling unit.

Tale of Two Captains: A Pitch That Held Secrets

Even before a ball was bowled at Eden Gardens, the captains’ reactions at the toss gave away just how much of a role the pitch would play. Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) Ajinkya Rahane and SRH’s Pat Cummins both smiled and hesitated when asked about the surface.

Cummins, admitting his lack of pitch-reading skills, called it a “good surface,” while Rahane couldn’t hide his excitement, believing that it would favor his spinners. The truth? It was a slowish track that ultimately played right into the hands of KKR’s fast bowlers before the spinners even had to roll their arms over.

SRH’s Worst Nightmare: A Catastrophic Start

Batting second, SRH’s “see ball, hit ball” philosophy fell apart in stunning fashion. Within the first three overs, they were reduced to 9 for 3, their worst-ever start since adopting this high-risk approach. A middle-order effort tried to rebuild, but the target of 201 was always out of reach. By the time Heinrich Klaasen injected some hope in the 14th over, the game had already slipped beyond SRH’s grasp.

Eventually, they crumbled for 120, a stark contrast to the team that had once threatened to rewrite T20 batting records. The aggressive batting strategy had hit its lowest point, and in the process, another major flaw was brutally exposed—their fragile bowling attack.

Bowling Under the Scanner: Old Wounds Reopen

It wasn’t just SRH’s batting that failed them. The writing was already on the wall during KKR’s innings when SRH’s bowlers allowed 78 runs in the last five overs, surrendering control at a crucial stage. James Franklin, the team’s bowling coach, acknowledged the lack of execution at the death, admitting that they let KKR reach a total that was out of their grasp even before the chase began.

“65 [66] off the last four overs probably reflects that we didn’t get it quite right,” Franklin conceded. “At the halfway stage, KKR were 84 for 2. If we had executed better in the last 10 overs, we could have kept them to 170-180.”

Unfortunately, this isn’t an isolated issue—it’s a pattern. Last season, SRH had the second-worst economy rate (after Delhi Capitals) and the worst bowling average among all teams. This year, the numbers are even grimmer:

• Worst economy rate so far in IPL 2024 (10.83)
• 19 wickets in four matches (lowest among all teams)
• 41.15 bowling average, only slightly better than Rajasthan Royals (46.69)

On a pitch where deliveries were gripping and slowing down, SRH’s pacers failed to capitalize. Their lengths were too full, their variations predictable, and their execution completely off. KKR’s Venkatesh Iyer took full advantage, thrashing the bowling at the death and ensuring that his team had a total well beyond SRH’s reach.

The Price of Playing Fearless Cricket

SRH’s aggressive batting approach forces opposing teams into a similar high-intensity mindset. But when things go wrong for SRH’s batters, their bowlers are left with no margin for error. The cracks in their bowling were always there—only now, they are becoming impossible to ignore.

Franklin, however, remains hopeful. “There’s obviously some frustration within the group, but it’s still early days in the IPL, and we have a lot of quality players who can turn it around,” he said.

With each passing game, one thing is becoming clear: If SRH insists on sticking to their ultra-aggressive batting mantra, their bowlers must find a way to step up—or risk more nights like this.