The Sunrisers Hyderabad have had one of the most disastrous seasons in the Indian Premier League. Despite the inclusion of some of the greatest names in current World cricket, they have had a very troublesome season.
It was during their previous seasons in IPL where they had managed to enter into the play-offs under their skipper David Warner. Warner has been a successful skipper for the side for years and under him, the Sunrisers had their days-of-glory along with their lone IPL title in 2016.
Until last year they were seen to be troubling their opponents through some of the most quality batting and bowling. They were known to be a balanced side with the mix of some great overseas players along with the inclusion of young Indian promising cricketers.
A showcase of talent was something that was always expected from the men-in-orange over the years of their quality performances. But this year it was Kane Williamson who took the responsibility as the Captain for the side but unfortunately finished last at the table.
Also, the absence of some major key players (Natarajan & Bairstow) who proved to be some of the greatest influencers for the side were seen to be missing the matches.
In this particular piece, we will look at data for some of the key performing players since 2019 and also touching upon the point that will give us an idea of the reason for the fall of the Orange army this season.
The falling graphs of the key players
David Warner
The Orange army’s ex-skipper and one of the most successful leaders for the side have been the leading run-scorer in the year 2019 and the third-highest scorer in the 2020 season.
However, during the 2021 season, Warner appeared for eight matches scoring 195 runs at a strike rate below 110. It was not a season that Warner would’ve hoped for. The graph below reveals the same.
His performance measured the orange army’s fortune towards success for the last few seasons and his absence during this season was felt as for most of the matches he was benched.
Johny Bairstow
The English batter has been one of the most valuable assets for the franchise. His contributions towards the success of SRH have been very crucial.
He missed the second leg of the fixture and was looking in good shape at the start of the tournament, it proved to be a major drawback for SRH this year as he was one of the most reliable top-order batters.
It is also quite hilarious that Bairstow only appeared for the 1st leg of the IPL 2021 and remains as the second-leading scorer for the side in the records.
Kane Williamson
The Kiwi’s skipper Kane Williamson was also the skipper for the SRH this year. Looking at his data over the years it’s quite evident that he is under-performing for the side since 2019 but scoring more than 300 runs in 2020 and just 266 this year. These numbers are way lower considering his standards.
It’s also quite interesting as well as strange that the 266 runs scored by the skipper are the highest if compared to other batters for the side.
Tough luck with the ball
Rashid Khan
The only bowler who has been consistent in his bowling is Rashid Khan. He is one of the most-cherished bowlers for the Sunrisers’. He is a blessing as a leg spinner to have on one’s team.
He has delivered some great economic bowling this season and is the only bowler to perform decently for the orange army. Looking at data it is seen that he had a great last season in IPL as his graph goes down in terms of performance this year.
SRH relies too much on the leg-breaker. As a bowler one too needs space otherwise it might transform into pressure which hampers the overall performance. Also, no other bowlers are seen to be performing this year.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
After several injuries and obstacles along the way, the Indian pacer is not seen to be in the best of his forms since last year. The falling graph and the lesser contributions towards the team with the bowl can also be a reason for the downfall of the Orange army.
Playing for 11 matches this season, Kumar has managed to get only six wickets with an economy of almost eight which is not appreciable considering his standards and his contributions for SRH, especially during the 2019 season.
Sandeep Sharma
The bowler from Punjab’s domestic cricket team has proved to be a major striker over the years for SRH. His under-performance during this season can also be one of the prime reasons for the downfall of the SRH as a team this season.
He proved to be expensive in terms of conceding runs for this season and played only seven matches which is very less compared to previous seasons while taking only three wickets.
Conclusion
SRH will be finishing this season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 with a wooden spoon. They’re virtually out of the race to the playoffs. There is, however, hope in Holder as contributed with the bat and ball for SRH, turning out to be the biggest positive for the franchise.
Besides that, Manish Pandey with some limited success when compared to his other seasons, Wriddhiman Saha, Kedar Jadhav, and Abdul Samad have also not taken charge of the franchise and stepped up at its worst.
There are plenty of areas where Kane Williamson & co. will need reassessment to make a comeback stronger for the next season while keeping all their hard works on.