“Washington Sundar’s absence has hurt SRH” - Harbhajan Singh analyzes Hyderabad’s inconsistent run in IPL 2022

Harbhajan Singh reckons that all-rounder Washington Sundar’s absence due to injury has had a major impact on Sunrisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) IPL 2022 campaign. The former Indian off-spinner explained that the franchise do not have a suitable replacement for Sundar, who can contribute with both the bat and ball.

Sundar was one of SRH’s big purchases at the IPL 2022 mega auction in February. He was picked up for ₹8.75 crore. However, due to multiple injury issues, the 22-year-old has only played six matches for Hyderabad so far.

There is uncertainty over Sundar’s availability for Saturday’s clash against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium in Pune. Speaking on SK Match Ki Baat, Harbhajan stressed the importance of Sundar for Hyderabad, stating:

“Washington Sundar’s absence has hurt SRH. He can bowl with the new ball and take wickets. He also provides a cushion with the bat. In his absence, they haven’t found that comfort. J Suchith has done well with the ball. He dismissed Virat Kohli and claimed a few wickets in the other matches too. But he doesn’t provide a lot with the bat, so Sundar’s absence is definitely being felt. We don't know how long it will take for him to return. SRH would hope that it’s not too late.”

The off-spinner has claimed four wickets at an average of 36 and an economy rate of eight. With the bat, he has contributed 63 runs at a strike rate of 185.29.

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“Maybe they peaked way too soon” - Harbhajan Singh on SRH’s topsy-turvy ride

Hyderabad have had a bizarre IPL 2022 campaign in many ways. After losing their first two matches, they won five games in a row. However, since that streak was broken they haven’t tasted victory, losing their last four matches.

According to Harbhajan, Hyderabad might end up regretting peaking a bit too early. He commented:

“SRH’s journey has been very inconsistent. They lost their first two matches, then won five in a row and now are on a losing spree. Maybe they peaked way too soon. From here, they will have to play much better cricket than what they have been doing.”

Sharing his thoughts on Hyderabad, former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif said that the team’s bowling doesn’t look as strong as it was when they won five games in a row. He elaborated:

“SRH bowling doesn’t look threatening after the exclusion of Marco Jansen. They have tried Kartik Tyagi and a few others. When they won the five games, they had T Natarajan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umran Malik and Marco Jansen. Now these bowlers are not playing together.”

Jansen was dropped from the playing XI after the team’s loss to the Chennai Super Kings (May 1). Natarajan also hasn't played since the CSK game due to fitness issues.

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