Mumbai, April 7: Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen has sharply criticized the bowling performance of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), suggesting that the team would have scored 400 runs had they faced their own bowlers.
Pietersen’s comments came after SRH’s opening match of the IPL 2026 season against the defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). He stated, “The bowling display from Sunrisers Hyderabad a couple of nights ago was some of the worst I’ve seen in IPL.”
In their first match on March 28, SRH managed to score 201 runs in the first innings. However, RCB successfully chased down this target in just 15.4 overs, with Virat Kohli scoring 69 runs off 38 balls and Devdutt Padikkal contributing 61 runs off 26 balls.
During the second innings, SRH utilized six bowlers, but none could contain the runs, with four bowlers conceding over 11 runs per over.
Despite this setback, SRH bounced back to win their second match of the season against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by a substantial margin of 65 runs. However, they faced another defeat against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Sunday, losing by five wickets in a thrilling last-over finish. Stand-in captain Ishan Kishan attributed the loss to early wickets, which put pressure on the batting lineup.
“It was a good game, but the total was not enough. The bowlers executed the plan well, and credit goes to the fielders. However, losing four wickets early puts pressure on the other batters. Klaasy and Nitish did well to take us past 150, and Rishabh played well despite the wickets falling. Defending that total was tough, but taking it to the last over gives us some positive notes. Harsh bowled exceptionally well, and I hope he continues,” Kishan remarked.
With one win in three matches, the 2016 IPL champions currently sit fifth in the points table. SRH will next face last season’s runner-up, Punjab Kings, on April 11 in New Chandigarh.
My name is Ganpat Singh Choughan. I am an experienced content writer with 7 years of expertise in the field. Currently, I contribute to Daily Kiran, creating engaging and informative content across a variety of categories including technology, health, travel, education, and automobiles. My goal is to deliver accurate, insightful, and captivating information through my words to help readers stay informed and empowered.
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