Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) skipper Pat Cummins expressed immense satisfaction after leading his team to the IPL final, marking a stunning recovery from their dismal 2023 season.
Cummins, who joined SRH for a record Rs 20.50 crore, orchestrated a remarkable turnaround. Culminating in a 36-run victory over Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Qualifier 2 in Chennai on Friday.
Reflecting on the achievement, Cummins said, “The boys have been fantastic all season. There’s a great vibe in the squad, and reaching the final was our goal from the start. This is for the whole franchise, probably 60 or 70 of them, who put their heart and soul into this. It’s really gratifying, and hopefully, there’s one more win left.”
SRH set a target of 175 for 9, with Heinrich Klaasen scoring a quickfire 50 off 34 balls, supported by Travis Head (34) and Rahul Tripathi (37). The team’s spinners then took center stage, with Shahbaz Ahmed (3/23) and Abhishek Sharma (2/24) sharing five wickets, restricting RR to 139 for 7 in 20 overs. Cummins (1/30) and T Natarajan (1/13) also contributed with crucial wickets.
“We knew our strength was our batting, and we didn’t underestimate the experience we have in this squad. Having Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar), Nattu (T Natarajan), and (Jaydev) Unadkat makes my job easy,” Cummins added.
He praised Abhishek Sharma’s unexpected bowling performance, stating, “That was a surprise. Initially, we tried to get a couple of overs from him with the right-handers at the crease, and consequently, he bowled beautifully, ultimately winning us the game in the middle overs.”
RR captain Sanju Samson lamented his team’s inability to handle SRH’s spinners. “It was a big game, and I’m really proud of our bowling in the first innings. However, we were short of options in the middle overs against their spin. Which is where we lost the game,” Samson admitted.
Samson noted that the pitch behaved differently in the second innings, turning in favor of the spinners. “They bowled their spin in the middle overs against our right-handed batsmen, which gave them an edge,” he explained.
He acknowledged that his team could have employed different tactics against the spinners, such as reverse-sweeping or better use of the crease. Samson also praised Sandeep Sharma, who delivered an impressive performance despite initially going unsold in the auction.
Reflecting on the season, Samson highlighted the emergence of young talents like Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel. “We’ve had some brilliant games over the past three years, and it’s been a great project for our franchise. We’ve found some exciting talent not only for RR but also for Indian cricket.”
As SRH look ahead to the final, Cummins and his team are, therefore, determined to cap off their incredible season with one more victory.
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