IPL 2020: 5 biggest disappointments for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 13

SRH finished third in the standings despite injuries to crucial players early in the IPL 13.

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) showed that big names, though helpful, may not guarantee success unless you utilize your other resources well. The David Warner-led side faced a lot of uphill battle during their IPL 2020 journey, but they still managed to reach the playoffs, in style and finished in the 3^rd spot.

SRH had been dealt a blow even before the IPL auction as their star all-rounder, Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan was banned for a year from international cricket. Still, they decided to go into the auctions with a set plan and fill in some chinks in their armor.

Widely known as the best defending side in the IPL, SRH retained most of their bowlers from the past two years but splurged on additional firepower. They bought in Mitchell Marsh and Fabien Allen, two gun all-rounders to help Mohammad Nabi in the department. Also added T Natarajan as a death overs specialist.

They looked a very good unit but were soon hit by a slew of injuries to key players. They lost Mitchell Marsh in the first game of the IPL 13 season due to an ankle injury and then were dealt an even bigger blow, as they lost vice-captain Bhuvneshwar Kumar to a hip injury. This sent their management into a tizzy to find proper replacements for them.

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However, despite trying and testing different combinations, they didn’t find the right one until the last few games of the tournament, when Wriddhiman Saha opened with David Warner and Jason Holder was brought in the playing XI. Both of these players helped SRH win their last three games against Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, and Royal Challengers Bangalore, enabling them to qualify for the playoffs.

They eliminated RCB in the eliminator match, but couldn’t get past Delhi Capitals in the second qualifier and went home finishing third in the tournament. Kane Williamson, David Warner, Rashid Khan, T Natarajan, Sandeep Sharma, and Abdul Samad were some of the successful players who did amazingly well for the team.

But there were some players who didn’t quite live up to the expectations or didn’t perform as per reputation and TEAM COC takes a look at five such players whose performance was not up to the mark.

Check out the 5 biggest disappointments for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 13

PRIYAM GARG

Though it would be harsh to say that at 19-years-old, Priyam Garg had a bad tournament. But a lot more was expected from the Indian U19 captain, who had taken the team to the finals of the most recent U19 World Cup.

If SRH had a major flaw in their armory, it was the lack of any experienced middle-order batsman to guide the youngsters, especially after they released Yusuf Pathan before the auction. And Garg was trusted with the responsibility of helping that young talent which included himself, Abhishek Sharma, and Abdul Samad.

Garg did well in patches, but in 14 matches he played, he made 133 runs with one fifty at a strike rate of 119.81 and an average of 14.77. Everyone knew SRH will have problems with that middle order and they tried to rectify it later by boosting it with the inclusion of Kane Williamson.

But Garg was expected to do more, especially with the reputation he came into the IPL 2020 with. It is safe to say that in the upcoming years, Garg would do well, if given a chance to bat higher up the order, even let him open the innings.

SHAHBAZ NADEEM

The experienced Shahbaz Nadeem has been part of the IPL for quite some time now but has never gotten an extended run in any team he has been on. So when he got a longer run in SRH in IPL 2020, the team management expected him to assist Rashid Khan a lot and create pressure from the other end.

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He did that to an extent, but with 5 wickets in 7 matches at an economy of 8.09, he failed to help Rashid in a way that the team might have expected. Due to the cap on overseas players in playing XI, SRH couldn’t fit in Mohammad Nabi as their batting needed Kane Williamson’s experience and hence SRH went to either Abhishek Sharma or Shahbaz Nadeem to help out Rashid.

However, Nadeem failed to do both and proved to be a disappointment for SRH, who was looking for his experience to help them get wickets from other ends as well and lessen the pressure on Rashid Khan.

KHALEEL AHMED

Khaleel Ahmed brings a lot of energy to the SRH squad and has even played international cricket for India in the past two years. However, there has been little improvement in his tactics while bowling at different stages in a match.

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He bowls almost the same way at the start, in the middle, or in death overs, and has two lengths, either short or extremely full. Given that he hits close to the 140 kph mark on the speed gun, the ball travels to far distances when hit by the batsman. He could have cemented his place in the SRH bowling lineup after the injury to Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

But with 8 wickets in 7 matches at an economy of 9.42 and highly inconsistent bowling, Khaleel only managed to ensure that Sandeep Sharma and T Natarajan had to absorb the pressure at the other end, without any help.

JONNY BAIRSTOW

Jonny Bairstow had been a revelation for SRH in IPL 2019. The Englishman was amazing at the top with David Warner and set the tournament on fire in the 10 odd matches he played. An encore of performance was expected from Bairstow in IPL 2020, but the slow pitches of UAE didn’t suit his batting.

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After a good knock of 97 against Kings XI Punjab in Dubai, and a couple of fifties more, Bairstow struggled as the tournament went on and pitches got slower with spin dominating the scene. He was eventually dropped from the side to bring in Wriddhiman Saha, who changed the fortunes of the team at the top and helped them qualify for the playoffs.

Bairstow played 11 matches and made 345 runs at a strike rate of 126.83 with three half-centuries. However, his struggles didn’t help his team which lost a series of matches, before winning their last three games and making it into the top four.

MANISH PANDEY

Manish Pandey has been a batting mainstay for the SRH team ever since they bought him from Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2018 auction for INR 11 cr and continued to retain him at that price and more for the past two seasons.

Pandey, meanwhile, has also carved out a space for himself in the Indian limited-overs side and SRH expected him to play a huge role in the middle order in IPL 2020. He did so by making 425 runs in 16 matches at an average of 32.69 with 3 half-centuries and the best score of 83*.

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However, his strike-rate of 127.62 is not indicative of the fact that Pandey’s anchoring role in the middle of the order and his inability to hit big shots on a consistent basis, put undue pressure on the likes of Garg, Abhishek, and Samad in the lower half and then Williamson as well, when he was included in the XI.

Pandey was happy to anchor one end and let others do the heavy-hitting, but it didn’t help SRH’s cause in chasing down big totals like the one against DC in the second qualifier. Though his numbers look impressive, many could say Pandey didn’t have the impact on SRH’s IPL 2020 journey, as someone of his price tag should have.