Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) endured a dismal Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 campaign. They have managed to win only four out of their 13 league matches and currently holding the last spot on the points table featuring 10 teams.
On the eve of SRH’s last league fixture against Mumbai Indians, head coach Brian Lara said that the team has not performed as per expectations for a few years now and his name would not have "miraculously" brought success to the 2016 champions this season.
“It is not too demanding. You are going to have a team that wins the IPL, a team that runs in the bottom and a team in the middle. But it is a process that you have to take and SRH for the last few years have not been playing up to the expectations," Lara said in the pre-match press conference.
"I do not think my name was going to miraculously bring success, a job has to be done professionally, big name or no big name. As I said, (it is my) first time in this position, it has been a wonderful learning experience for me and something that I will take away moving forward,” he added.
Lara praised SRH skipper Aiden Markram, adding that the franchise will address the areas of concern after the end of the season.
“We were both newcomers, the captain and the coach. But in terms of leadership, on and off the field, I felt we as a unit were learning as we go along. It is not something that comes easily.
“I think Aiden did a tremendous job and we will do some sort of review and reflection to see how we can work things out for the betterment next year. But it is always going to be difficult coming into an environment and trying to lead. If I can speak for myself, I will definitely learn from this experience,” said the former West Indies captain.
Brian Lara said SRH would look to spoil Mumbai Indians’ party at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday (May 21).
“Everybody has got to bring something to the table. We have tried as much as possible to do that and obviously the results show it is a team that had a really poor year. But you got to take out the positive, see how we can use the next six to eight months to get better, get back in shape and get a team ready for a season,” he said.
“We are here to upset the party for Mumbai, we want to win and it will be great to at least end in that fashion. But it's going to take a lot of effort and professionalism in putting a team together moving forward. But to get the right attitude and get everyone pulling in the right direction is very important.”
(With PTI Inputs)
