With six wins from eleven matches, defending IPL champions Sunrisers Hyderabad have made giant strides towards the play-off berth. Like last year, SRH have immensely benefitted by David Warner’s tremendous form but once again it is their high-quality bowling performance which has kept them among the top four teams in the points table.
The team management has carefully selected their bowling unit and has been spot on with their bowling combination and strategies. And with confidence from their captain and able guidance from mentors, several bowlers from Hyderabad are bowling at their best. As a result of this, SRH boasts the best bowling unit in this IPL. Here we discuss the top five reasons for the roaring success of Hyderabad’s bowling unit.
#1 Presence of a quality bowler in the form of Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the perfect T20 bowler. He makes the new ball swing and is spot on with his line and lengths. Hence, during the powerplays, he is extremely difficult to hit and in fact, he picks up wickets as well.
Then during the death overs, he comes back to bowl yorkers with perfection and has the skill to vary his pace as well. Thus, instead of leaking runs he ends up taking wickets. With all these facets, Bhuvi is an asset for any team in T20s. And hence with this right arm pacer spearheading Hyderabad’s bowling unit, there is no dearth of venom.
Bhuvi is the leading wicket-taker in this IPL and has already amassed 21 wickets from 10 matches. And if he continues his bowling form, then he may easily break the record for the most number of wickets in an IPL season which is currently owned by Dwayne Bravo who picked up 32 wickets in 2013.
Along with his wickets, Bhuvi’s economy rate is also highly impressive. Among the top ten wicket takers, this Hyderabad pacer has the best economy rate and the fact that he averages below seven runs per over even though he bowls mostly during powerplays and in the slog overs is quite an achievement.
#2 The attacking leg spin bowling of Rashid Khan
If Bhuvi is Hyderabad’s ace bowling weapon, then Rashid Khan is their X factor. This young leg-spinner came to limelight as he is the first player from Afghanistan to feature in the IPL but in the course of ten matches, he has ensured that it is his bowling which is making news and not his nationality.
He has a quick bowling action which makes it difficult for batsmen to pick his variations and along with that, he has a sharp mind that helps him in getting the better of the batsmen. With 12 wickets in 10 innings, Rashid has ensured that things are tight during the middle overs and his economy of 6.82 is indicative of the pressure he exerts on the batsmen.
#3 The Indian pace unit
As batsmen win matches through partnerships, bowlers too become effective when they operate in pairs. To compliment the tremendous bowling of Bhuveneshwar Kumar, SRH has used three pacers. Ashish Nehra, Siddarth Kaul, and Mohammed Siraj have been more than handy and this trio has picked up 22 wickets combined from 15 innings so far.
Nehra’s experience has helped Hyderabad in getting wickets with the new ball as well as during death overs. Additionally, his presence in the squad means other pacers always receive helpful wisdom from him.
Siddarth Kaul, on the other hand, is inexperienced but has a smart mind. Mohammad Siraj, on the other hand, is considered to be the next big thing from Hyderabad and he has proved that he certainly has the potential. His raw pace, clean action, and relentless aggression have won him several accolades even though his figures have not been that impressive.
These Indian pace bowlers have ensured that Warner has plenty of options and it also allows Hyderabad to use Bhuvi as they wish.
#4 Smart buys from the management
It has become an established fact that the success of a team in IPL is not only decided in the matches they play but is also decided at the auction table. Hence the credit for Hyderabad’s exceptional bowling performance has a lot to do with their team management who made smart decisions at the auction table.
In the 2017 auctions, Sunrisers made two crucial purchases. They bought Rashid Khan as they didn’t have any quality spinner and also Mohammed Siraj to strengthen their pace attack.
After ten matches in this IPL, the team is reaping rewards for these purchases.
Rashid was bought for INR 4 crores while for Siraj, SRH paid INR 2.6 crores. Neither of the players came cheap but SRH invested their money carefully and wasn’t afraid to shell out cash to acquire quality bowlers.
The team management’s emphasis in having an all-round bowling attack is another factor for their success. Hyderabad has plenty of bowling options and their bowling unit is multi-dimensional. Along with right-hand pacers, they have left-arm pacers in the form of Barinder Sran and Mustafizur Rahman. They also have overseas all-rounders who can bowl at decent pace. In the spin department along with Rashid, SRH has ample options for the left-arm spin while Deepak Hooda is a handy part-time right-arm off break bowler.
This extensive bowling lot increases the bench strength and has offered Warner various options.
#5 Horses for courses method
SRH has been highly flexible with their bowling combinations. Warner hasn’t hesitated in swapping his bowlers based on the pitch and opposite team.
In the first match, Deepak Hooda was brought on to pick Chris Gayle’s wicket while in the next match, Bipul Sharma was asked to open the bowling against Jason Roy and Brendon McCullum as both the batsmen love pace on the ball.
After beginning the season with Ashish Nehra, SRH switched to Mohamad Siraj during the latter stages of the tournament as Siraj brings more pace with him. These subtle yet impactful changes is also a huge contributor in making SRH the best bowling unit in this IPL.
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