Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) skipper Pat Cummins did not mince words after his team suffered a significant 80-run defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their latest Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter on Thursday. This crushing loss marked SRH’s third consecutive defeat, prompting Cummins to question the effectiveness of his team’s aggressive batting strategy.
Chasing a daunting target of 201 runs, SRH’s batting lineup faltered, being bowled out for a mere 120 in 16.4 overs. Reflecting on the match, Cummins expressed his disappointment: “Not a great night tonight. In the mid-innings break, we thought it was gettable. It was a pretty good wicket. Gave away a few too many in the field and obviously fell short (with the bat).”
The Australian captain acknowledged the need for a strategic reassessment, particularly following a string of losses. “You have to be realistic – three games in a row, it has not come off for us. Less than two weeks ago, we put on 280. Our batters are at our best taking it on, but you have to think about if you could take different options.”
Cummins also pointed out the team’s fielding lapses as a contributing factor to their defeat. “Probably more (disappointed) with our fielding – a couple of catches, and a few misfields that we have to tidy up.” He added that while the bowling wasn’t disastrous, KKR capitalized well, especially against the pacers. “Overall bowling was not bad, they batted well towards the end. We only bowled three overs of spin – did not think there was a lot of spin. Cutters were gripping (for the pacers), so went down that path.”