Sangakkara to bank on youngsters

Hyderabad: Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Kumar Sangakkara today said that he would like his teammates to play to their strength when they take on the Pune Warriors in their opening match of the Indian Premier League at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium here on Friday. Sangakkara admitted that star player Shikhar Dhawan would be missed, but said it would an opportunity for the youngsters to show their mettle.

"It is going to be a tough game. Pune Warriors has a good team. They have some great players. We are just looking to play to our strengths," Sangakkara told reporters on the eve of the match. "We had good discussions about what we are trying to do. Hopefully, we will execute everything well and the way we have planned, I think we can hold around against any team," he added.

Sangakkara stressed that the amount of effort and execution on the field is more important than any number of plans drawn up for success. "You know, you always draw up specific plans but the real key is executing them on the field. It does not matter how well you really plan, if you don't do your job on the field.

Regarding the absence of their star batsman, he said, "Dhawan is out for a couple of more weeks. I think it is a huge loss. He has been an integral part of our team and it is unfortunate that we lost him. It is a huge blow. But the replacements, who are good enough, are excited to get the opportunity," added Sangakkara. Meanwhile, Parthiv Patel expressed confidence that the team would give a good account of itself in the sixth edition of the cash-rich tournament.

"We are pretty excited, the new IPL is starting. Hopefully, we can start well. Obviously, we did not have good season last year. But this time, we are prepared well. We have come out with some new players. Hopefully, we would do well," he said.