Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) recorded their second consecutive loss in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) on Wednesday. The David Warner-led side failed to chase the paltry target of 150 against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Although, there was a stage in the game when Sunrisers were in a dominant position as the skipper David Warner had hammered the opposition by scoring 54 runs from 37 balls featuring seven fours and a six.
But, post Warner’s dismissal in the 14th over, SRH batting witnessed a sudden collapse. The main architect behind the carnage was RCB spinner Shahbaz Ahmed, who bagged a three-wickets in the 17th over. From there-on, the 2016 winners never really got the momentum back as they faced a six-run defeat against Virat Kohli-led side.
After the match, lots of fans and cricket pundits stressed that SRH needs their world-class batsman Kane Williamson for the middle-order. Even in the last season, the Sunrisers batting unit struggled in the middle-overs, but Williamson made sure that his side qualifies for the playoffs.
Speaking on the red-hot topic, SRH coach Trevor Bayliss broke his silence, saying that Williamson is currently not 100 per cent fit and still needs time to heal from the injury he suffered ahead of the Bangladesh series last month.
The Aussie mentioned that the New Zealand skipper is working hard in the nets in order to be ready whenever he makes his first appearance in the playing XI for the ‘Orange Army.’
“We had two days of practice before the RCB game, and Kane Williamson practised in one of the days. So, he’s coming along,” said Bayliss in a post-match presser.
The 58-year-old further explained why Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi, who played in the first match, was not included in the second fixture. In place of Nabi, SRH had picked Caribbean star Jason Holder.
“Mohammad Nabi got hit on the head against KKR. He’s still feeling the effects of that hit. Therefore, we played Jason Holder. He adds to our pace attack with his height and bounce. He exactly did so in this match,” Bayliss added.
