It has been a season of two contrasting halves for Sunrisers Hyderabad. The Orange Army lost their opening two matches but bounced back stronger to win their next five matches on the trot. They looked confident to qualify for the playoff stages but veered off the track as they lost their next five matches.
The fifth successive loss came against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune on Saturday as they were beaten by a mammoth margin of 54 runs. In fact, SRH got off to a good start as they reduced KKR to 94-5 after 11.3 overs but Andre Russell took the game away from them.
Russell smashed a whirlwind knock of 49 runs off just 28 balls with the help of three fours and four sixes to get his team to 177 runs. The hard-hitter added 63 runs with Sam Billings, who scored 34 runs.
On the other hand, SRH could not get going in the run-chase. Kane Williamson struggled to even score at run-a-ball before his misery was put paid by Andre Russell. Rahul Tripathi was brilliantly caught and bowled by Tim Southee whereas Nicholas Pooran had a soft dismissal against his compatroit Sunil Narine.
Except for Aiden Markram and Abhishek Sharma, none of the SRH batters could find any kind of momentum in their batting innings. The Oragane Army could only manage 123-8 in their 20 overs and it was a big loss for them.
Kane Williamson said in the post-match presentation, “I mean largely the first half was good. Dre Russ is always a threat. Showed his class. We tried to create partnerships but KKR were really good. We have been struggling with creating momentum in the last few games. Sundar stepped up in the last over. Using our resources a little early didn’t work for us today. We wanted to get off to a good start. We wanted to get some momentum. There were glimpses and signs but wasn’t to be. The run rate got up and we were not able to pull it back. The game teaches us lessons and I am learning it right now.”
SRH can now get to a maximum of 14 points if they win their next two matches and it will be difficult for them to qualify for the playoff stages.
There have been some positive performances from the Orange Army but they have failed to win the crucial stages of crucial matches, which has led to their downfall in the last five games. SRH will next face Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Tuesday.
