SunRisers Hyderabad face Chennai Super Kings in the bottom of the table clash on Friday, April 25. Things have gone horribly wrong for SRH this season, with their famed batting line-up failing in the majority of the matches. Speaking ahead of the game, SRH captain Pat Cummins said that the team would score runs if even one or two of their batters would stand up in the game.
SRH, who scored a massive total of 286 runs in their very first outing of the tournament, have failed to turn up in the majority of their games. SRH batters look out of touch and confidence, losing wickets in clumps in every single game. Travis Head, Ishan Kishan have struggled, and Nitish Kumar Reddy, the find of IPL 2024, has not fared any better as well.
Speaking ahead of the CSK match, Cummins said that SRH batters were encouraged to play their natural brand of cricket. Cummins said that the batters were, in fact, suited to strike at close to a 200 strike rate.
“I think most of our players are quite aggressive. In that first game this season where we got 280-odd runs, the thing that stood out to me was it wasn’t reckless—it was calculated aggression. We’re lucky that we’ve got such strength that it’s never just about swinging. Our guys are well-suited to striking at close to 200, so that’s what we always encourage,” Cummins said.
Speaking about the team’s current state, Cummins said that they needed one or two batters from the line-up to stand up and deliver on the given day.
“I think we’re not going to have a day where everyone’s going to score runs. But we feel like with that batting line-up, all it takes is one, maybe two guys to play—and that could be match-winning for us. They’re all match-winners, so I know I’d be worried coming up against that line-up because you know on their day they can score 100 runs in 30-odd balls,” Cummins said.
At the moment, SRH has been frustrated about not putting up a collective performance. Most of the days, their batting has not backed up the bowling unit. However, there have been positives in the ongoing campaign as well. Cummins spoke about Aniket Verma and said that the batter had impressed everyone in the team with his six-hitting capabilities.
“He really impressed us in the warm-up matches and in the training. I think just the way he goes out—no matter the game situation—and tries to hit sixes. And that’s what he’s done. He takes on spin, and it’s just that freedom that he’s brought to his game. He’s only played a few games as of now, but he’s been really impressive,” he concluded.
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