IPL 2021: “Kane Williamson always rises to the occasion, will be expected to deliver for SRH” - Aakash Chopra

Former India opener Aakash Chopra has high hopes from Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) captain Kane Williamson in the second half of IPL 2021 in the UAE. Conceding that SRH are highly unlikely to qualify for the playoffs, having won only one of their seven games, Chopra added that Williamson could boost the franchise’s confidence with some assured knocks.

Williamson took over as SRH skipper just before IPL 2021 was suspended in India after David Warner was sacked following the franchise’s poor showing. SRH will begin the second half of IPL 2021 in the last position on the IPL 2021 points table.

Analyzing SRH’s chances on his YouTube channel, Chopra opined that the team needs a lot more than a change in leadership to turn around their fortunes.

“SRH won only one match in the first half of IPL 2021. They even changed their captain and replaced David Warner with Kane Williamson. But there are no quick fix solutions to such problems. There are other issues as well. Their highest run-scorer in the first half - Jonny Bairstow - is not there,” the former cricketer pointed out.

Chopra, however, predicted that SRH should perform well in the second half of IPL 2021, considering they reached the IPL 2021 playoffs in the UAE last season and seemed to enjoy playing in the Middle East.

“Looking at the positives, SRH made it to the playoffs the last time the event was held in the UAE. Jason Holder, one again, will be a key player. Kane Williamson always rises to the occasion. He will be expected to deliver again. I think Warner will also enjoy the conditions in the UAE and Rashid Khan is, once again, going to be sensational.”

“They should do reasonably well but I don’t think they will qualify for the playoffs. They won only one of their seven matches in the first half. Had they won at least three, they could have had an outside chance,” Chopra explained.

You can check out the list of all the IPL 2021 captains here.

---

“When Saha opened for SRH last season, he changed their fortunes” - Aakash Chopra

Discussing SRH’s playing XI for the second half of IPL 2021, Chopra suggested that Wriddhiman Saha should open with Warner while Kedar Jadhav must play at No. 5. Explaining his choices, the analyst said:

“SRH must open with Wriddhiman Saha and Warner in the UAE. When Saha opened for SRH last season, he changed their fortunes. Also, I feel SRH should play Kedar Jadhav at No. 5. Yes, they have youngsters like Priyam Garg and Abhishek Sharma. But Jadhav is a senior player and since the franchise have picked him, they must try to utilize his experience.”

As per the IPL 2021 time table, SRH will resume their IPL 2021 campaign by taking on the Delhi Capitals (DC) in Dubai on September 22.