SRH, clear the last hurdle next time

The 2024 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was a rollercoaster for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). From the highs of early victories and standout individual performances to the lows of mid-season slumps and strategic missteps, SRH experienced a season of stark contrasts.

Sunrisers Hyderabad began the 2024 IPL season with a renewed sense of optimism. The team made several strategic acquisitions during the auction, securing the services of key international and domestic players. The leadership of Pat Cummins, better known for composed, calm and stress-free on and off the field demeanor, earned stability and direction to the squad.

A major highlight was the acquisition of Australian batter Travis Head who bolstered the top order along with Abhishek Sharma. Theyboth promised aggressive starts and emerged as the top scorers the side with 567 and 484 runs respectively in this season. The middle order, featuring the likes of Aiden Markram and Abdul Samad also provided a blend of experience and youthful exuberance. In the bowling department, SRH’s strength was traditionally anchored by the pace duo of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and TNatarajan. Their ability to swing the new ball and execute yorkers in the death overs stifled opposition batsmen. Captain Pat Cummins, bagged by SRH for a whopping INR 20.50 crores, claimed 12 wickets this season with a decent economy rate while Natarajan is the fourth-highest wicket-taker this season. The 33-year-old left-arm medium-fast bowler, has been brilliant with 15 wickets in just eight matches. Whereas spinners like MayankMarkande and Shahbaz Ahmed all-rounder are yet to shine in this season

The season started on a positive note for SRH. They won several of their opening matches convincingly, showcasing a balanced team performance. Under Cummins’ captaincy, SRH consistently pushed the boundaries making scores in excess of 200 a regular occurrence.

On March 27, SRH secured the second spot on the T20 cricket list with an impressive score of 277/3 against Mumbai Indians. Abhishek Sharma’s remarkable performance, achieving the fastest fifty, brought attention to SRH’s explosive batting talent and their capacity to achieve high scores.

SRH made history again by setting the highest IPL score ever with an astonishing total of 287/3 in 20 overs against RCB on April 15. Travis Head led this incredible performance with the fourth-fastest century in IPL history. The match was filled with fireworks as both teams combined to hit 38 sixes, setting a new record for the most sixes in a match. SRH’s total is also the second-highest team score in T20 history worldwide, only trailing Nepal’s record of 314 for 3. This exceptional display of batting prowess solidified SRH’s position at the top of the IPL 2024 table.

However, the fortunes of SRH began to change as the season progressed. In the summit clash against Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad failed to build enough partnerships after losing the early wickets of Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head.

Mitchell Starc set the tone for the match by taking two quick wickets – dismissing Abhishek Sharma for 2 and Rahul Tripathi for 9. There after it was a meek surrender down the order.

Quick succession of wickets coupled with excessive dot balls made defeat inevitable for SRH. SRH played a total of 56 dot balls – the highest number recorded in an IPL final.

SRH’s 113 runs, the lowest total ever in an IPL final, reflected their inability to build partnerships and handle the pressure of the final match.

Despite their significant setback in the final, SRHhas been the most exciting teams in the IPL 2024 as thebroke the record for the highest team total not once but twice and has also chased down targets of 166 inside 10 overs on other occasions.

Moreover the fact that Sunrisers Hyderabad were back to being title contenders with Pat Cummins in charge after finishing at the bottom of the table in two of the last three seasons in itself is a great achievement to cheer up.