IPL 2020: 'The Sunrisers Hyderabad were looking like a gathering of injured players' - Aakash Chopra reviews SRH's season

Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra has opined that the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) had given a good account of themselves in IPL 2020, considering the slew of injuries that afflicted their key players.

He made this observation while reviewing the David Warner-led side's IPL 2020 campaign, in a video shared on his Facebook page.

Aakash Chopra pointed out that the Sunrisers Hyderabad did not have the most auspicious of starts to IPL 2020, as Mitchell Marsh got injured in the very first match, and the team went on to lose that game from a position of strength.

"The Sunrisers Hyderabad season started with a whole lot of issues. They should have won the very first match, but Mitchell Marsh got injured in that match. Jonny Bairstow was batting well, but Chahal came and dismissed two batsmen in an over - Bairstow and Vijay Shankar - and they lost the match (from there)," observed Chopra.

The reputed commentator said that the Sunrisers Hyderabad looked like an injury-ravaged team, as they lost six of their first nine games in IPL 2020. In this regard, Chopra highlighted the fact that apart from Bhuvneshwar Kumar getting ruled out, Kane Williamson and Vijay Shankar had also been sidelined because of injuries.

"In fact, they could only win 3 out of their first 9 matches. Mitchell Marsh had got injured; Bhuvneshwar Kumar had been ruled out when they played against Dhoni's team, and after that they kept on having injuries, sometimes Vijay Shankar and sometimes Kane Williamson. The Sunrisers Hyderabad were looking like a gathering of injured players," said Chopra.

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Aakash Chopra gives his take on how Sunrisers Hyderabad revived their fortunes in IPL 2020

Jason Holder proved to be an excellent acquisition for Sunrisers Hyderabad [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra lauded the Sunrisers Hyderabad unit for staying positive, with the addition of Jason Holder in the team proving to be a shot in the arm.

"But they did not give up hope, which was the special thing about the team. They signed Jason Holder, which I feel was the signing of the mid-season. He performed very well, and the SRH story changed from the moment he came," said Chopra.

The batsman could only HOLD 🔛 when he was bowling! ⚡#OrangeArmy #KeepRising #IPL2020 @Jaseholder98 pic.twitter.com/1Xih1GevUd

— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) November 12, 2020

The former KKR player also pointed out that Wriddhiman Saha opening the batting was another game-changer for the Sunrisers Hyderabad. He also praised David Warner's efforts with the bat and his leadership skills when he said in this regard:

"They made Saha to open, and he came and blasted the bowlers, and they have David Warner, the greatest of all time in the IPL playing for them, and he captained very well this year too."

Aakash Chopra observed that T Natarajan was a great find for the Orange Army while Rashid Khan delivered the goods as usual. Chopra also talked about an injury to another Sunrisers Hyderabad player - Wriddhiman Saha - that eventually played in a key role in the franchise's exit in IPL 2020.

"They got a new star in the form of T Natarajan. Rashid Khan is anyway outstanding. But at the end, they were again hit hard by injury. Wriddhiman Saha, who was their saviour, taking the team to the playoff, also got injured," observed Chopra.

The 43-year old opined that the Sunrisers Hyderabad ran out of gas in the end and were defeated by the Delhi Capitals in Qualifier 2 of IPL 2020.

"This team kept on moving ahead despite their injury issues, but in the end they just ran out of steam and lost to Delhi; they also dropped catches and the fielding was a little ordinary," said Chopra.

Aakash Chopra signed off by stating that the Sunrisers Hyderabad deserve a rating of eight out of ten for the fight they put on despite getting hindered by injuries to key players.

"But there were a lot of positives for the Sunrisers Hyderabad, if we talk about this season. They punched above their weight. The Sunrisers Hyderabad deserve 8 out of 10 points for reaching the playoffs despite so many injuries (to key players)," concluded Chopra.

The Sunrisers Hyderabad indeed looked to be down and out after they had just six points in their kitty after their first nine games in IPL 2020. But they bounced back impressively by winning four of their next five matches to reach the playoffs, even defeating the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Eliminator along the way.

Unfortunately, SRH came up short against the Delhi Capitals in Qualifier 2, but they have many positives to savour from their impressive IPL 2020 campaign.