Bengaluru, March 29: In the opening match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) faced a six-wicket defeat against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Following this loss, SRH head coach Daniel Vettori encouraged his players, describing their performance as “a bit rusty, but not concerning.”
In the match held at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, SRH batted first, scoring 201 runs after losing nine wickets. RCB chased down the target in just 15.4 overs.
Discussing the match outcome, Vettori acknowledged that it was one of those days that everyone would prefer to avoid. However, he emphasized the importance of focusing on the positives rather than dwelling on the result.
In a dressing room video shared by SRH on social media platform X, Vettori stated, “I think today is one of those days you would want to avoid, as it shows some weaknesses. But you should also look at the things that went well and those that went against us.”
The former New Zealand captain was particularly impressed with SRH’s batting. He highlighted that despite losing three wickets during the powerplay, the team managed to post a strong score of 201 runs.
He remarked, “From a batting perspective, coming out of that powerplay situation to reach a good score reflects the capabilities of our top seven batsmen. Despite the challenging circumstances in the first match, the way everyone performed together was truly commendable. Ishan and Klassen handled that tough phase well, and the way the batsmen put us in a strong position at the end was fantastic.”
However, Vettori candidly addressed the shortcomings in bowling. He noted that the plans devised for bowling were not executed properly on the field, which fell significantly short of expectations.
He explained, “Our biggest challenge is to understand where we went wrong while bowling. We talked about maintaining the right length and sticking to our strengths, but today we strayed far from those points.”
He pointed out that bowling too many deliveries that were easy to hit cost the team dearly. “We bowled 10 full-length deliveries that were hit for sixes. When that happens, you always fall behind in the match.” Despite the struggles in bowling, Vettori did not blame any single player but viewed it as a collective learning opportunity for everyone. “I don’t want to portray it as if the bowlers are not doing their jobs properly. This is a challenge for all of us before the next match.”
Looking ahead to their next game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens, Vettori stressed the importance of preparation and adapting to conditions. He said, “We have two days of training in Kolkata where we can rectify our mistakes, understand the pitch, and decide how to bowl against those batsmen.”
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