IPL 2017: 5 things that went wrong for SRH against DD

In terms of points, this was a David vs Goliath show with Sunrisers Hyderabad close to the top of the table and the Delhi Daredevils languishing at the bottom. Nevertheless, on paper, they were two good sides, Delhi doubly dangerous on their home turf. Add to that the fact that Delhi finally got their batting order right, even if it has probably come a little too late.

Rishabh Pant at No. 3 and Morris at No. 6 showed glimpses of what could have been, especially with Corey Anderson showing what he can do at No. 5. SRH batted well and posted 185 on a sluggish pitch, thanks to an unbeaten 70* off 41 balls for Yuvraj Singh, who was given a huge lifeline by Sanju Samson when he dropped a catch at deep midwicket.

However, it didn’t prove enough for a Daredevils side captained by Karun Nair (Zaheer Khan absent because of injury) that showed how talented they are. Here are 5 things that went wrong for the SRH team in a rare defeat.

---

#1 Slow middle overs

SRH had a blazing start thanks to Shikhar Dhawan as they reached 66 for 1 in just 6 overs. After the dismissal of Dhawan and Warner, they fell off the boil a little bit. The defending champions were at 83 for 2 by the end of the 10^th over and scored 31 in the next 5 overs to reach 114 for 3 in 15 overs.

Yuvraj Singh took off from there to score a scintillating half-century. Nevertheless, those slow overs in the middle cost SRH dearly as they fell 15 runs short of what could have been a winning total that they were quite capable of reaching given the start. Williamson, who has been in good nick, could score only 24 off 24 balls while Moises Henriques scored only 25 off 18 balls.

For Delhi, Shami was particularly brilliant with the ball. But credit has to go to Amit Mishra for figures of 1/23 in his 4 overs – meagre and picked the wicket of Shikhar Dhawan.

#2 Missed chances in the field

SRH weren’t good in the field and missed a few important catches

Dropped catches have plagued this IPL and it was no different in this game. Yuvraj was dropped by Samson and then SRH returned the favour when Bhuvneshwar dropped Karun Nair when he was on 20.

Nair smashed two fours and a six in the very next over against Henriques and that got Delhi going in the chase as they reached 62 for 1 in their 6 overs. This was the stand-in Delhi captain’s highest score of the season. Shreyas Iyer too gave an opportunity off Rashid’s bowling but the sky-high shot fell between Dhawan and Henriques.

That didn’t cost SRH a lot as Iyer got out the very next over.

#3 Henriques and Yuvraj give big runs

Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer took on Yuvraj Singh when the latter was brought on to bowl

The three overs between Henriques and Yuvraj were extremely expensive for SRH and was what helped keep the required run-rate under check for Delhi in the chase. Henriques went for 16 in his first over, getting hit all over the park by Nair.

He went for 16 again in his second over too; Rishabh Pant smashing two fours and Iyer clipping one off to long-on. It was a bad day for the usually economical Henriques. Yuvraj’s over was an added bonus in the 13^th as Shreyas Iyer smashed back to back sixes. Delhi reached 125 for 3 in 13 overs and the required run-rate came under their control.

It didn’t help that SRH probably got their mix wrong with Deepak Hooda remaining unutilised in the match. SRH could have picked an extra bowler in his place and that could have helped Warner attack a lot more.

#4 Off-day for Bhuvneshwar Kumar

The usually economical Bhuvneshwar Kumar couldn't do much for his skipper

Bhuvneshwar Kumar didn’t have a bad day, but the purple cap holder didn’t have a good day either, which in itself was surprising. He finished with figures of 4-0-33-1 with Shreyas Iyer gifting him a wicket. The Indian medium pacer’s lack of penetration allowed Delhi to get away early in the powerplay, getting the big shots in, whether it was Nair, Samson or Iyer.

After a tidy first over, Kumar gave away two fours to Samson which eased the pressure as Delhi got going. Kumar couldn’t pick up wickets at the death as Corey Anderson played yet another match winning knock down the order.

Wonder if Delhi will make the mistake of dropping Anderson again?

#5 Rashid wicket-less

Delhi did well not to give away any wickets to Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan was brilliant and economical as usual against Delhi but couldn’t pick wickets. That made a world of difference as Delhi went for the chase right through without the brakes being applied on their scoring rate. Rashid gave away just two fours in his spell registering figures of 4-0-24-0.

However, he couldn’t get Anderson out early and that proved to be decisive for SRH as the latter showed his destructive capabilities as a finisher. Rashid was unlucky at one point as a skied shot from Iyer dropped in no man’s land.

Nevertheless, it showed that SRH could be vulnerable if Rashid and Bhuvi do not pick too many wickets. It was smart of Delhi to see him off without playing too many rash shots, given Delhi knew SRH were a bowler short.