Soumajit Dey: Table toppers of Indian Premier League; SunRisers Hyderabad has already reached the playoffs and they will face either Chennai Super Kings or Kolkata Knight Riders in the first playoff at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on May 22.
Ahead of the much anticipated encounter here we will talk about SRH’s cause of comforts and concerns before the playoffs.
Cause of comforts:
Kane Williamson and his captaincy: After SRH’s regular skipper David Warner was banned from playing this year’s IPL it was a cause of concern for the team management as he was the main run scorer of the side in the last few seasons. But new appointed captain Kane Williamson not only led the side well but also he is the leading run scorer in this year’s cash rich league with 661 runs in 14 matches which is one of the reasons why SRH has reached the playoffs.
Shikhar Dhawan’s batting: ‘Gabbar’ has played 13 matches so far for the Orange Army and scored 437 runs as well with four half-centuries under his belt. In most of the matches he has given a good start to SRH and the batsmen down the order had capitalized on it. SRH team management would want the same from Dhawan in the playoffs as well.
Bowling of Bhuvneshwar Kumar & Rashid Khan: Last year’s purple cap winner Bhuvneshwar Kumar has played 9 matches so far in this season for the SRH brigade where he has taken 8 wickets. His bowling at the death overs will be the key for the success of the Hyderabad based outfit in the playoffs. On the other hand young Afghan leg spinner Rashid Khan is another reason for SRH’s brilliant performance in bowling. He has taken 16 wickets so far in this year’s IPL and would be a crucial weapon for the playoffs.
Cause of concerns:
A string of losses: Though they are still at the top of the table with 18 points but the Hyderabad outfit has lost their last three matches of the group league which is a big worry for the team. Ahead of the first playoff they have to fix the problem as soon as possible because in the knockouts they will get only one chance.
Failure of the middle order: SRH’s top order is playing really well throughout the tournament but their middle order comprised with Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan and Shakib Al Hasan has failed miserably throughout the season. If the top order fails in the playoffs then this middle order can be a cause of concerns for the SRH brigade.
Poor bowling in last few matches: They have been regarded as one of the best bowling sides in this IPL as they have Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul, Rashid Khan and others in the lineup. In first few matches they even defended low totals as well to win matches. But in last few matches the team surprisingly leaked a lot of runs and their bowling looked a bit a bit shaky as well.