IPL 2018: 3 reasons why Sunrisers Hyderabad won’t win the title

#2 Over reliance on top order and weak middle-order

Deepak Hooda has been dropped from the SRH side due to poor form

There is no secret that the batting is a weak link for SRH currently. Their average score with the bat has been a paltry 146. Moreover their average score in their wins has been a disappointing 134. Like previous years, this year too their middle order has failed. After spending so much on Manish Pandey and Deepak Hooda, the cricketers have failed to live up to their expectations.

They are over-reliable on Dhawan to provide good starts and Williamson to bat throughout the innings. Pandey who is supposed to put his foot on the accelerator in the middle overs after Williamson gets out is batting at a below par strike rate of 112.8. It is disappointing to see that even bowlers like R. Ashwin have a better strike rate than Pandey. He has the lowest strike rate among the top-30 highest run-getters this season. Due to this, there is pressure on Shakib Al Hasan to start firing from the very first ball. The lower middle order has been decent with Yusuf Pathan and to an extent even Rashid Khan hitting the big shots.