Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], April 4: Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) bowling coach James Franklin has backed his team’s explosive batting lineup to rediscover their form despite consecutive setbacks in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
SRH began their campaign on a high note, crushing Rajasthan Royals, but their momentum has since fizzled out. Successive losses against Lucknow Super Giants, Delhi Capitals, and Kolkata Knight Riders have exposed glaring weaknesses in their batting approach and death bowling.
Batting Woes and a Stubborn Approach
A key issue has been SRH’s unwavering aggressive batting approach, with their batters prioritizing big hits from the first ball, irrespective of match situations. Critics have suggested a more measured strategy, emphasizing time at the crease and adapting to pitch conditions.
Despite the struggles, Franklin remains optimistic:
“That hasn’t worked in the last two games, but it’s the way our batters want to play. It hasn’t been our best performance, but we have confidence in our group to continue playing the attacking brand of cricket we’ve shown over the last year,” he said in the post-match press conference.
Death Over Struggles Exposed
Apart from batting issues, SRH’s inefficiency in death overs has allowed opponents to convert modest totals into daunting targets.
Against KKR, SRH conceded 78 runs in the last five overs, enabling the hosts to reach 200/6 despite a steady start. Franklin admitted that poor execution in the latter half of innings has cost them dearly.
“65 runs off the last four overs show that we didn’t quite get it right. At the halfway stage, KKR was around 84/2. If we had managed the final 10 overs better, we could have restricted them to 170-180. Our execution just wasn’t right,” he explained.
Looking ahead, Franklin emphasized the need for improvement, especially with a crucial clash against Gujarat Titans on Sunday.
“As a coach, you always reflect and wonder if we could have done things better or been technically braver. These are discussions we will have before our next game. We will work on our death-over execution and come back stronger,” he concluded.
With SRH struggling near the bottom of the table, their ability to bounce back against Gujarat could determine the course of their IPL 2025 campaign.