(Cricket news) Sunrisers Hyderabad are at the bottom of the points table with 2 points as the next few matches are a must win for the 2016 champions. They lost in the second qualifier to Delhi Capitals last year and this year have had a poor start in the League with 6 losses in 7 matches. Their lone victory came against Punjab Kings in the fourth match, since then they are on a three match losing streak and also lost their first three matches.
They are led by Kane Williamson who took over David Warner after the first six matches and will be leading the team for the remainder of the IPL. The change in captaincy did lead to some speculations about the team as Warner had led the side in the previous occasions and also topped the lists with the bat but since the team has been struggling this year there was some sense to try as many options available.
Their batting line up has been carried by David Warner for the past few years and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar has added strength to the bowling line up. Johnny Bairstow was the leading run getter in the first half for the team but has pulled out the second half as Sherfane Rutherford has been his replacement. Rutherford is coming back from a CPL title win with St Kitts and Nevis Patriots and has scored three half centuries from his last four outings.
Sunrisers Hyderabad have a strong bowling line up as Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, yorker specialist Thangarasu Natarajan and Rashid Khan who is also the current leading wicket taker in the team. Khaleel Ahmed and Siddarth Kaul also form a dangerous duo as they add more to the bowling line up. Mohammad Nabi was slowly finding his form and can be a life saver in the second phase meanwhile there are now reports over spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman as he is yet to join the team in Dubai over not getting an entry visa.
Their batting line has failed to live up the expectations as Williamson and Wriddhiman Saha have struggled in the first phase. Warner and Manish Pandey have struck two half centuries so far, the team’s highest score of 177 came in the first match against Kolkata Knight Riders as only Pandey and Warner were scoring runs. Williamson had a terrific year with the bat in 2018 when they lost in the final to Chennai Super Kings.
Jason Holder is a powerful batsman and also a useful bowler and will look to contribute at both ends as the team needs the batsmen to start scoring. They have been one of the most consistent teams since their debut in 2013 and always managed to reach the top four except in 2014 and 2015 so it’s too early to count them out of the league. They will need to begin a winning streak in UAE and the best way to begin would be to topple the table leaders Delhi Capitals on 22nd September.
Also read: What you do in second half of IPL matters, says Royals spinner Shamsi
