From IPL Archives: Rating the performance of Sunrisers Hyderabad year-wise

6. 2018 - 2nd Position

Sunrisers lost to Chennai Super Kings 4 times in the tournament

Kane Williamson was made the captain after David Warner was banned for a year due to the sandpaper problem. Hopes weren't high on them as they seemed to have lost the spirit after their usual captain's exit but Kane ensured that they can succeed even without their captain.

They had a golden run in the league stage as they won 9 games among the 14 they played, thus ending as the table toppers -- their best position in the league stage since their debut. What was more interesting with the Sunrisers was them defending low totals for fun. They defended totals like 118, 132, 146 and 151 at ease, thus emerging as the best bowling outfit in the tournament.

After ending as the table toppers, they faced Chennai Super Kings in the Qualifier 1. They put up a dismal show with the bat as they posted only 139 runs on the board, however, their bowlers showed some spirit which wasn't enough to defend the target. They had to face Kolkata Knight Riders in the eliminator and they won it comprehensively to reach the final for the second time.

Unlike qualifier 1, Sunrisers batted well on the night of the final as they scored 178 in their 20 overs. Everyone thought Sunrisers would defend the total with the bowling unit they had. However, their bowlers had an off day as the Chennai Super Kings chased the target with nine balls to spare.

Kane Williamson and Shikhar Dhawan ended up as the top run scorers with 735 and 497 runs respectively. Kane Williamson was much lauded for his captaincy in the absence of David Warner and also won the Orange Cap. Among the bowlers, Rashid Khan and Siddarth Kaul were brilliant as each picked up 21 wickets in the tournament.

Sunrisers lost to Chennai Super Kings four times in the tournament. Had they found a way to neutralize the best batting unit, the best bowling unit would have clinched the title for the second time.

Rating - 8/10