SRH's Explosive Season Falls Short Despite Impressive Batting

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) showcased their batting prowess during IPL 2025, but ultimately ended the season in sixth place, largely due to a lack of consistency throughout.

The team started the season on a high note, scoring an impressive 286 runs in their opening match against Rajasthan Royals. They followed that up with scores of 231 and 278 in their last two games against Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders, respectively. However, despite these high scores, SRH struggled to maintain momentum, suffering a disappointing four-match losing streak.

Head coach Daniel Vettori attributed the team's downfall to opposing teams quickly adapting to SRH's aggressive batting style. The team's openers, Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma, once the backbone of their batting in IPL 2024, experienced a marked decline in form. "We struggled with our batting consistency, particularly due to changes in conditions and bowling strategies," Vettori commented.

The absence of a stable all-rounder like Shahbaz Ahmed further weakened SRH's batting unit. Heinrich Klaasen emerged as the team's top run-scorer with 487 runs, but his contributions were sporadic. Other key players like Ishan Kishan struggled for form, finishing with just 354 runs.

On the bowling front, Pat Cummins and Harshal Patel led the team with 16 wickets each. However, the absence of left-arm pacer T Natarajan was felt keenly. Mohammad Shami's disappointing return of six wickets added to SRH's woes, raising questions about their strategic approach. Head coach Vettori expressed frustration at the team's failure to perform up to their potential.

"We need to improve our consistency and develop a more solid strategy," Cummins said. "We need to find the right balance between our batting and bowling linesups."

SRH will look to address these issues in the off-season, hoping to return stronger and more competitive next season.