“That’s Where We Lost…” Breaking my heart
With a 36-run victory over the Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2 on Friday, SRH—who had finished last in 2023—made history under Pat Cummins, who orchestrated a breathtaking comeback for the squad.
Pat Cummins, the captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad, stated on Friday that seeing the team reverse its fate and make it to the IPL final following a terrible 2023 season was a satisfying experience. SRH had finished last in 2023, but after Cummins was signed for an astounding Rs 20.50 crore, the team had a remarkable metamorphosis. On Friday, they defeated Rajasthan Royals by 36 runs to get to the final. “The boys have performed admirably the entire season. As you can see, the team is in a wonderful mood. We achieved our season’s goal, which was the final, Cummins stated during the post-game press conference.
“It’s for the entire franchise—probably 60 or 70 people who gave this their all. It is truly satisfying, and hopefully there will be one more.” Sent in to bat, SRH amassed 175 for nine thanks to contributions from Travis Head (34 balls) and Rahul Tripathi (37), as well as Heinrich Klaasen’s 34-ball fifty.
RR could only muster 139 for 7 in 20 overs before the spinners arrived, with Shahbaz Ahmed (3/23) and Abhishek Sharma (2/24) sharing five wickets between them. T Natarajan (1/13) and Cummins (1/30) each scalped one.
“We would not undervalue the experience in this squad; having Bhuvi, Nattu, and Unadkat makes my job easy. We knew that our strength was our batting.”
Cummins commented on Abhishek’s bowling, saying: “It was unexpected. We attempted to force him to bowl a couple of right-handers, but he bowled exquisitely, and those two won it with their middle overs.”
“170 was a tough chase and had we got a couple of wickets we knew we had a chance.” Sanju Samson, the captain of Rajasthan, expressed regret about his team’s inability to tackle the spinners.
“The game was very important. I am quite pleased with our first innings bowling performance. We lost the game because we ran out of choices in the middle overs when they were bowling against us, the player stated.
“It’s difficult to predict when we’ll get some dew or not. In the second innings, the wicket began to behave differently, the ball began to turn slightly, and they took full advantage of this.
“They bowled their spin in the middle overs against our right-handed batsmen, that’s where they were one-up against us.” Samson stated that the hitters may have done something else to unsettle the spinners.
“We should have tried a little more reverse-sweep or maybe greater use of the crease when the ball was stopping against their left-arm spin. They bowled pretty well, too.” “I am really happy for him,” Samson said of Sandeep Sharma, who bowled superbly on the sluggish track during the middle overs. He has undoubtedly delivered, from being left out of the auction and returning as a substitute to his bowling style.
“Sandeep Sharma will be the next player after Bumrah based on his performance over the last two years. He did a fantastic job.” He also showered his side’s young players with praise.
“It has been a terrific endeavor for our team; not only have we had some outstanding performances this season, but during the previous three as well. We have discovered some truly outstanding talent for the nation.
“Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, and many others appear to be very promising prospects for both RR and the Indian cricket team. Over the past three years, we have experienced some fantastic seasons.”
