Sunrisers Hyderabad coach Tom Moody felt his team had a realistic chance of making it to the play-offs. “In Twenty20 cricket, momentum is a funny thing. If we win four we have a good chance,” said Moody. “The situation was pretty similar last year. A lot of teams are well-balanced and so every side has an opportunity to find itself among the top four. Kings XI is probably the only team to have fallen away.
“Our destiny is in our own hands. We have five games left and will be facing some opponents who will also be competing for a top-four slot. It’s a tight competition and every single game is going to be critical,” said Moody.
The Australian agreed with the view that a solid foundation is the key to winning.
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“If you knock over Ajinkya Rahane and Shane Watson early, you expose the Rajasthan Royals. It’s the same with KKR; you remove Uthappa (Robin) and Gambhir (Gautam), you are in the thick of it. We have not absolutely firmed up our middle-order, so I see that as an opportunity than a concern. In a tournament like this, we have a short window to gain momentum and confidence as a team. To me, there are five games and five opportunities for the middle-order to take it, and help the team gain momentum.”
Rajasthan Royals’ Stuart Binny said his team has to play solid cricket to win and almost make sure of its place in the last-four. “Jinks (Ajinkya Rahane) and Shane Watson have been in good form. Sanju Samson and Karun Nair, too, have contributed in the last two matches. Our top-five is good and, James Faulkner, who plays at No. 6 or 7, is also dangerous.”