New Delhi, March 14: The 19th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to kick off on March 28. Ahead of the tournament, former Indian batsman Cheteshwar Pujara emphasized the need for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to address their challenges in away matches. SRH will begin their campaign against Royal Challengers Bangalore on March 28.
Pujara noted that SRH has consistently posted high scores at their home ground in Hyderabad. However, they struggle to achieve similar totals when playing at other venues.
He pointed out that opposing teams have started to exploit SRH’s over-reliance on their top-order batsmen. This dependency is a significant factor behind their inability to score big in away matches.
In an interview with JioHotstar, Pujara stated, “Sunrisers Hyderabad is a very dangerous team, especially when they play at home, where they score a lot of runs. However, their record away from home is quite poor. When they play outside, they fail to maintain their aggressive batting intent. All teams are aware that SRH relies heavily on their batting strength to score big. Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, and Heinrich Klaasen are their key batsmen. Once they are dismissed, it becomes challenging for Sunrisers Hyderabad to progress. This is where opposing teams capitalize and prevent them from achieving high scores. This is an area they need to work on.”
Pujara also praised the opening partnership of Abhishek and Travis Head, calling them one of the most dangerous pairs in the league. He remarked, “In recent seasons, we have seen how Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head bat for Sunrisers Hyderabad. I can confidently say they are among the most formidable opening pairs in IPL history. Both know how to attack from the very first ball. Thanks to these two, SRH has consistently crossed the 250-run mark in several matches. No other team in the IPL has achieved this consistently. Their ability to hit the ball to every corner of the field makes them special.”
He added that when discussing aggressive opening partnerships in the IPL, the pairing of Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli often comes to mind. However, he believes the Head and Abhishek duo is even more dangerous. No bowler would want to bowl against an opening pair like Abhishek and Head. Last season, SRH’s performance was disappointing, with only six wins out of 14 matches, finishing in sixth place in the tournament.
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