IPL 2018: 3 things that went wrong for KXIP against SRH

The 25th match of the IPL 2018 concluded with Sunrisers Hyderabad emerging victorious against Kings XI Punjab by 13 runs.

SRH struggled to score against KXIP's bowling line-up and managed to put just 132 runs on the board.

However, their bowlers did remarkably well and restricted KXIP to 119 runs. It was KXIP's second loss of the season and they moved down to the third place on the points table.

Let us look at the three main things that went wrong for KXIP in their loss against SRH.

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#3 Lack of experience

KXIP batting unit lacks composure against SRH.

Most of the KXIP batsmen are not regulars in their national teams and their lack of experience was clear in the game against SRH.

KXIP were in a comfortable situation after a good start from their openers, and they just needed to show a bit of composure during the middle overs.

But their batsmen looked in a hurry to finish the match and none of them tried to build a decent partnership in the middle overs. Due to this, they kept losing wickets and eventually lost the match from a winning position.

KXIP got all the elements to clinch their maiden IPL title this season but they need to keep their composure during difficult situations.

#2 Fielding let them down

KXIP will be disappointed with their fielding.

KXIP were doing brilliantly with the ball and they could have restricted SRH to a lower total if their fielders helped their bowlers.

They put a very dissatisfying performance on the field and put down a number of catching chances. SRH's top runscorer, Manish Pandey could have gotten away a lot earlier if they had managed to catch some of the routine catches.

KXIP's poor fielding gave SRH a chance to put a decent total on the board which eventually haunted the Lions while chasing.

#1 Middle order collapse

KXIP's middle order struggled against Rashid Khan.

KXIP's openers gave them a perfect start and they were in a comfortable position until KL Rahul's dismissal. They needed just 77 runs in the last 12 overs and most of their batting was yet to come.

But none of the middle-order batsmen got going and went back to the pavilion in a quick succession. KXIP's batting powerhouse includes proven names like Aaron Finch, Karun Nair, and Mayank Agarwal, however, all of them struggled against SRH's bowling.

The Lions need to sort out their middle order soon if they want to turn their brilliant start of the season into the IPL trophy.