Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on May 2 lost to Gujarat Titans (GT) by 38 runs. While mathematically they are still in the playoffs race, practically they can't make it into top four. The Pat Cummins-led side started their season with a bang, registering the second-highest score in the Indian Premier League (IPL) history. However, it went downhill for them and now they sit in the ninth position with just three wins from 10 games. Following their defeat at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter Ambati Rayudu trolled SRH and does not expect them to bounce back.
"I think it's going to be a very difficult road ahead for SRH. Their season has gone from bad to worse after this loss. It’s like water vanishing at the bottom of the table. The points table looks like a map of India—once you cross Hyderabad, you’re headed to Chennai. That’s how far they’ve fallen. I don’t see them bouncing back this season. Their energy on the field was poor, to be honest. They’ll need to play much better cricket from here on and perhaps start thinking about rebuilding for the next season," Rayudu said on JioHotstar.
Rayudu feels that SRH lost the must-win clash in the first innings when GT posted a mammoth total of 224/6. He said that SRH were poor in the fielding department and lacked energy.
"I think the game was lost in the first innings itself. The target was just too much to chase, especially given the way they bowled early on, it was quite ordinary. But credit to GT for some extraordinary batting. SRH also fell short in the field, dropped catches, misfields—they just didn’t seem up for it tonight. GT brought so much energy, while SRH looked flat and low on intent," said the 39-year-old.
In the run chase, opener Abhishek stood out with a 41-ball 74. Travis Head departed early whereas Ishan Kishan struggled and managed to score just 13 runs from 17 balls. Heinrich Klaasen and Aniket Verma disappointed as well. Nitish Kumar Reddy and skipper Cummins hit a few boundaries but SRH were nowehere near the target.
Rayudu praises Krishna, GT's fielding
Rayudu lauded Prasidh Krishna for his economical bowling and two scalps. He praised Jos Buttler and Rashid Khan for pulling off spectacular catches.
“If you remove Abhishek Sharma's innings, there really isn’t much to talk about for SRH. That’s because of the quality of Gujarat Titans’ bowling and also some spectacular catches, one from Jos Buttler, one from Rashid Khan. Prasidh Krishna has been extraordinary, and those two wickets in the middle when the partnership was building for SRH were crucial. Their catching was top-class. And also Siraj, the way he has come back. Gujarat Titans is well and truly at the business end of the tournament and in a great zone," he said.
SRH's next match
SRH will now go up against Delhi Capitals (DC) on May 5 at home. DC are in dire need of a win to keep themselves in the hunt for playoffs. They have six wins from 10 games.