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T Natarajan missed out on a spot in the playing XI of the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their third IPL 2021 game against the defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI).
There is no clarity over whether the left-arm pacer is injured. But fellow left-armer Khaleel Ahmed replacing the 30-year-old has certainly left quite a few heads scratching at the moment.
T Natarajan was arguably the find of the IPL 2020 season as his 16 wickets in as many games were instrumental in helping SRH make it to the playoffs. He also played the first two games of the ongoing season and picked up a couple of wickets. This makes T Natarajan's absence from the playing XI of the third match even more confusing for many.
David Warner looked short of ideas at the toss when he was asked what he would have done had the flip of the coin fallen in his favor. SRH have been asked to bowl first by MI and Warner has made as many as four changes to his line-up.
Twitter react to SRH excluding T Natarajan and making wholesale changes
Fans believe that SRH have been rattled by their shock loss to the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the previous game and that solely might be the reason for wholesale changes in their line-up.
They took to Twitter to express their opinion on the questionable decision of leaving out one of the strike Indian bowlers in the form of T Natarajan.
Here is what they had to say:
SRH had suffered a horrible batting collapse in the last game, losing 7 wickets for 27 runs as they fell short of RCB's target by six runs. Warner had mentioned in the post-match presentation that such losses were certainly unacceptable and he has shown intent in his other changes too, apart from T Natarajan's absence.
Afghanistan spinner Mohammad Nabi has been replaced by compatriot Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who has the experience of playing in T20 leagues around the world. Young sensation from Jharkhand, Virat Singh, is also slotted into the SRH middle-order in place of Wriddhiman Saha.
All-rounder Abhishek Sharma's inclusion has given a hint that Jonny Bairstow might open alongside Warner. This would surely make the SRH middle-order a bit more vulnerable due to the lack of experience as Kane Williamson is still unable to find a place in the side.
MI on the other hand, have made just one change, with New Zealand speedster Adam Milne making his debut for the franchise in place of Marco Jansen. The defending champions will look to set up a competitive total knowing that SRH have struggled while chasing in Chennai this season.
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