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In the 41st game of the IPL 2024, high-flying Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) hosted Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. The visitors opted to bat first, which seemed to be the right choice as the pitch was predicted to deteriorate later on in the match.
On the back of great fifties from Indian batters Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidar, the side was able to post a competitive score of 206/7 in their 20 overs. An amazing cameo from Cameron Green made sure that his side went past the 200-mark in their innings. Jaydev Unadkat bowled an excellent spell as he grabbed four wickets and gave away just 30 runs in his four overs.
Sunrisers Hyderabad did not have a great response with the bat as they lost Travis Head in the first over itself. They lost three more in the powerplay as the RCB bowlers started to dominate the opposition batters. The other batters gave away their wickets cheaply in an attempt to keep attacking and maintain the required run rate for the chase. In the end, Royal Challengers Bengaluru finally returned to winning ways.
Here are the three changes that Sunrisers Hyderabad should make ahead of their next game:
3. Over-reliance on openers
Over the past few games for Hyderabad, the openers have been providing them the base for a massive total. Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma’s attacking approach often demoralizes the opposition bowlers. In their previous game against Delhi Capitals, they made 125 runs inside the powerplay itself.
The middle order has come into question after their dismal performance in the past few games. Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klaasen have not had the same impetus as the team management would have expected from them. Shahbaz Ahmed and Nitish Kumar Reddy have bailed out the side on a few occasions. But the overseas batting duo might have to be accountable for their respective wickets after such a loss.
2. Utilize Bhuvneshwar Kumar more
Only a few years back, Bhuvneshwar Kumar was considered amongst the best bowlers in the country. But nowadays, the veteran pacer doesn't get recognition within his own team, as he bowled a solitary over in the encounter on Thursday.
The UP-born pacer is known as the 'Swing King' but has been unable to bring back his old form to this edition of the Indian Premier League. The team management should back the pacer and should start bowling him more especially in the powerplay overs. If he finds his mojo back, he can scalp wickets for fun inside the first six overs.
1. Bring in Glenn Phillips for Aiden Markram
Aiden Markram has not had an ideal 2024 campaign with the bat. Despite his sole fifty in the game against the Mumbai Indians, the right-handed batter has struggled to play well for the franchise. Moreover, he has not been bowling this season and his place in the side has now come into question.
The 2016 winners have an option of picking Glenn Phillips in their line-up and would be looking at that ahead of their next game against Chennai Super Kings. The batting all-rounder has a variety of shots up his sleeve and can also chip in with some overs with the ball, which might prove to be handy in the crucial stages of the game.
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