Bengaluru, March 29: Daniel Vettori, head coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), attributed the team’s defeat to poor bowling performance after losing to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by six wickets at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday. This marked SRH’s first match in IPL 2026.
After the match, Vettori expressed disappointment with his bowlers, noting their lack of discipline and inability to maintain the right line and length. This allowed RCB’s batsmen to score runs easily. He mentioned that SRH had a good opportunity when they took the wicket of Phil Salt early on, but the bowlers failed to sustain the pressure. According to Vettori, aggressive batting from Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal later on secured the win for RCB.
Vettori acknowledged the strong performance by RCB’s batsmen while stating that it was one of the worst displays from SRH’s bowling attack. The absence of regular captain Pat Cummins was notably felt. David Payne appeared ineffective, conceding 35 runs in his three-over spell, although he later managed to take two wickets. Vettori defended Payne, citing the challenging conditions he faced.
He praised young spinner Harsh Dubey for his impressive performance, highlighting his ability to take a crucial wicket. Vettori believes Dubey could become an important player for the team moving forward, especially given his control on the difficult pitch at M. Chinnaswamy.
Despite the loss, Vettori commended his batting lineup, emphasizing its depth. He particularly praised Aniket Verma for his explosive innings of 43 runs off 18 balls, stating that his performance coming in at number seven was remarkable.
Batting first, Sunrisers Hyderabad scored 201 runs for the loss of nine wickets in their 20 overs. Ishan Kishan led the charge with a powerful 80 runs off 38 balls, while Aniket contributed significantly. However, the bowlers failed to defend the target of 202 runs, with RCB achieving it in just 15.4 overs. Kohli remained unbeaten on 69, and Padikkal scored 61 runs off 26 balls. SRH’s next match in IPL 2026 is scheduled against Kolkata Knight Riders on April 2.
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