The Sunrisers Hyderabad campaign in the Indian Premier League ended with a drubbing from Mumbai Indians on Sunday night.
And, head coach Tom Moody’s face said it all. “It is a disappointing end. It was one of those days, it did not click the way we would have loved to. It doesn’t matter whether you lose a game by one run or by 100. It is a bitter way to finish the campaign,” he said after his team failed to find a place in the place-offs, finishing sixth in the points table.
“We just did not get going. Losing wickets early on meant enormous pressure on the middle-order and on the entire team itself,” Moody said.
Questioned whether the inability of the openers to get a good start against Mumbai Indians proved costly, the coach said: “Warner has been the leading scorer for us in this IPL and he continues to have the orange cap. It is unfortunate he could not get going.
“Shikhar got a very good ball from Lasith Malinga. With the two best batsmen gone to the sixth and seventh ball of the innings and then the double blow in the 10th over when we lost Moises (Henriques) and Naman Ojha, we could not get the momentum going,” he said.
What are the positives for Sunrisers this season?
“We played with a lot of pride, character. Could have ended up second but for Sunday’s debacle. Remember, we won seven games competing against the best teams in the IPL. It is unfortunate that rain played a part in our defeat to RCB,” Moody said.
He also said the other impressive feature of SRH was the way Warner led the side and batted so well at the top of the order. “Yes, the players who were given opportunities failed to step up and Sunday was one of them,” he said.
For his part, Mumbai Indians left-arm fast bowler and Man-of-the-match Mitchell McClenaghan was modesty personified.
“It could have gone for a six. Luckily, Warner mistimed his pull stroke and got out, to our delight. We all knew that he is a great puller of the ball. We had to take a chance against such players. Lucky we got his wicket. Malinga produced a quality ball to dismiss Dhawan,” he said.
“Both Jagadeesha Suchith (left-arm spinner) and Harbhajan Singh bowled brilliantly in the middle overs. Those wickets ensured that Sunrisers ended up with a poor score,” he said.
The Kiwi fast bowler insisted that Hardik Pandya could well be the find of this IPL and a great cricketer for India.
Reflecting on the next clash against Chennai Super Kings in the play-offs, McClenaghan said they would be up against one of the best teams in the IPL with some fantastic players. “The most important thing is how well we prepare for that big game. Luckily, we have a great support staff and hope to win that game too,” he concluded.
