IPL 2025: Captain Pat Cummins Blames Batters and Fielders for Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Loss
Sunrisers Hyderabad, the finalist team of Indian Premier League 2024 is struggling to score points in the latest season. Currently positioned at the bottom of the standings table with just 2 points, they have lost three games in a row continuously.
Captain Pat Cummins has recently admitted that his team’s performance was far from its best, after suffering an 80-run defeat against the Kolkata Knight Riders on Thursday.
The loss marked the third consecutive setback, leaving them searching for answers. Cummins expressed disappointment over the missed opportunity, believing that the target was well within reach.
“Not a great time. I think this was gettable, a pretty good wicket. Left too many in the field and then fell well short in the end,” he said after the match. He emphasized the need for introspection, suggesting that the team might have to reassess their outlook and plan a better strategy.
“We need to be realistic, three games in a row it hasn’t come off for us. We need to maybe look back at whether we could have chosen better options. Our batters are best when they take the game on, but looking back, maybe we could have taken different options,” he further said during the match presentation chat.
Former SRH captain Kane Williamson has questioned Pat Cummins’s strategy and has further advised him to make a few changes in their approach, after the terrible batting collapse in the last match. The top order has been in a state of debacle for the last two matches now.
SRH, who has a destructive batting lineup, failed to score runs against KKR. The skipper outrightly dismissed the lack of intensity and made a massive remark on the preparedness of his batters, stating that losing early wickets costed them the game.
He opined in choosing a different combination, which could have worked in their favour. The same suggestion has been given by ex-captain Kane too, as he believes in trying out some new players instead.
In addition, he also openly criticized the inconsistent fielding, with catches being dropped during the game, which led the KKR batsmen to score runs and reach the 200-mark figure.
During the run-chase, SRH was never truly in the match and lost wickets at rapid rate. With this win, KKR’s campaign is somewhat back on track as with two wins and two losses.
The men in orange have now shifted to the bottom in terms of the points. As they get ready for their third home game against the Lucknow Super Giants on April 8, the Ajinkya Rahane team would surely be thrilled with the result.
The mindset that Pat Cummins adopted last year, of playing fearless cricket is not working this time in IPL 2025. Does this strategy require a change or continue sticking to the same approach is what needs to be thought by the captain, coach and management.
The Sunrisers Hyderabad have some serious homework to do and will go back to the drawing board to revive themselves out from this situation and bounce back hard, aiming to cross the much-anticipated 300-figure score.
By: Tulika Agarwal
