"Looks quite mediocre" - Tom Moody on SRH's bowling attack in IPL 2023

Former Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) head coach Tom Moody believes that the side have failed to put together a formidable bowling attack in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2023).

He pointed out how the SRH didn't have quality bowlers who could trouble the likes of Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis during the team's encounter against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Thursday, May 18.

Moody suggested that while Bhuvneshwar Kumar and T Natarajan have done reasonably well, Hyderabad seem to be lacking an X-factor in their lineup.

Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, the cricketer-turned-commentator remarked:

"You have historically seen both Virat and Faf struggle against left-arm spin. But, the left-arm spin has to be of high quality. When I look at this Sunrisers attack, to me, it looks quite mediocre.

"There's no X-factor there. Bhuvi is a classy bowler. He has bowled well this season, but he is really on his own there. Natarajan is a finisher, but he needs other people around him to support that role."

The Hyderabad bowlers failed to defend a target of 187 against Bangalore. Bangalore openers Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis came up with brilliant knocks, scoring 100 and 71 runs, respectively, as RCB completed a comfortable eight-wicket victory.

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"Went to a machine gun fight with a pocket knife" - Tom Moody on SRH skipper Aiden Markram

Tom Moody further stated that Hyderabad cannot lack firepower in their bowling attack, considering that teams now have the option of using the impact player rule.

The former cricketer opined that SRH skipper Aiden Markram didn't seem to have enough resources in their recent encounter against RCB. He emphasized the importance of having different types of bowlers in the lineup, adding:

"In IPL cricket, now with this impact player, you've got to have five red-hot bowlers with diversity. You need wrist spin, you need pace, you need swing. And with an impact player, there is no excuse.

"You should never not have that at your disposal as a captain. To me, it looked like Markam went to a machine gun fight with a pocket knife. He just didn't have the resources."

The Hyderabad-based side have already been eliminated from the race to the playoffs. With just four wins from 13 matches, they are currently the wooden spooners of IPL 2023.