Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) became the third side to be eliminated from IPL 2025 after their game against Delhi Capitals was abandoned due to rain. It was a huge turn in fortunes for SRH after storming to the finals of IPL 2024 thanks to some amazing cricket. Last year, SRH were the team to beat as they set the highest team total in IPL history twice in a season.
This year, SRH began with a bang, scoring 286 in their first game of the campaign against the Rajasthan Royals. After that win, SRH lost four in a row and then beat Punjab Kings with ease in what was yet another high-scoring encounter. After two losses to the Mumbai Indians, SRH finally ended their long wait for a win in Chepauk and followed it up with yet another loss to Gujarat.
There will be massive questions asked about the performances by certain players that was seen in IPL 2025. The 2026 season may be far away but the preparations will be well under way behind the scenes. Many players could be turning up in the Orange jersey for the last time as the IPL 2025 season comes to a sad end for the former champions.
Here are the three reasons behind SRH’s poor performance in IPL 2025
1. Wrong releases ahead of the season
Veteran Indian pacer T Natarajan was the best bowler for SRH in the IPL 2024 season. The left-arm seamer picked 19 wickets, which was the joint fourth best in terms of wickets taken. SRH decided to release perhaps one of their best and most experienced pacer along with Bhuvneshwar Kumar at the end of the season. Kumar has found a new home in Bengaluru, while Natarajan headed north to the Delhi Capitals. The likes of Kumar and Natarajan could have been useful, considering the experience they brought to the table. Bhuvneshwar Kumar had picked 157 wickets during his time with SRH, while Natarajan had picked 65 wickets for SRH out of his career tally of 67 IPL scalps. The likes of Simarjeet Singh, Jaydev Unadkat, and Eshan Malinga did well in patches, but their inexperience was visible as the new pacers failed to do justice with the ball. Even Mohammed Shami failed to perform well with the ball despite having years of experience.
2. Ishan Kishan’s mid-season struggles
In the last few seasons, there is a pattern has emerged in Ishan Kishan’s IPL career. The left-handed batter starts well but begins to flounder in the middle of a season. Kishan began his SRH career with a bang, scoring his maiden IPL century. In the 11 games played so far this season, Kishan has scored just 196 runs, out of which 106 came in a single game. In the 10 innings that Kishan has played, he has been out in single figures five times and was not out once. In his last innings against GT, Kishan struggled to score runs and was out after scoring 13 off 17 balls. In a batting order which has Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma at the top and Heinrich Klaasen to follow, Kishan’s role was very critical, but sadly, the 26-year-old failed to come good.
3. Underperformance of key stars
In 2024, when SRH took the league by storm, it was seen that the entire team came to the fore when needed. This year, the same energy wasn’t seen as the likes of Travis Head and Nitish Reddy have failed miserably. Having scored 567 runs in the 2024 season, everyone hoped that Head would put in an encore performance. The left-handed batter has scored just 281 runs from 11 games with two fifties. In 2024, Head’s strike rate was 191, and the average was 40. This year, he has dropped to 28 with his strike rate at 156. The same is the case with Nitish Reddy, who became the toast of the nation after IPL 2024. Reddy scored 303 runs last season, but this year, the 22-year-old managed to score just 173 runs and hasn’t even been given a chance to bowl.
Disclaimer: This Exclusive News is based on the author’s understanding, analysis, and instinct. As you review this information, consider the points mentioned and form your own conclusions.
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