3 things SRH can learn from Sunrisers Eastern Cape's SA20 triumph
Sunrisers Eastern Cape on Sunday successfully defended their SA20 title after beating the Durban Super Giants by 89 runs in the final of the second edition of the competition. They also won the inaugural edition by beating the Pretoria Capitals in the final.
The biggest financial booster for Cricket South Africa, the second edition of the SA20 managed to live up to the expectations due to the high-quality cricket on display. The Sunrisers Eastern Cape looked the most complete side of the tournament and it reflected in their all-round performance.
Under the leadership of Aiden Markram, the Eastern Cape dominated the group stage, winning seven out of their 10 games before thrashing DSG twice in the playoffs to clinch their second title. They followed an aggressive template all through the tournament and weren't afraid to take on different challenges.
With the 17th season of the Indian Premier League slated to kick off from the end of March, it is time for the Sunrisers Hyderabad to take a leaf or two from their sister franchise. The 2016 IPL champions finished at the bottom of the points table in IPL 2023.
Having said that, let us have a look at 3 things which SRH can learn from Sunrisers Eastern Cape's SA20 triumph:
# 1. Sticking with Aiden Markram as the captain
Following their shambolic performance in the previous edition of the IPL, several talks were going around regarding a captain change. Aiden Markram, who led the side in 2023, failed to perform consistently and was found wanting while making a few tough decisions on the field.
However, his captaincy has been class apart in the SA20. Not many captains has the privilege of winning back-to-back T20 titles. Markram achieved the feat by taking the Eastern Cape to victory against Durban Super Giants in the final. Given his composure and man-management skills, Markram should be handed the captaincy for the 2024 IPL season.
# 2. Sticking to the basics and latching onto crunch situations
The Sunrisers Eastern Cape kept things simple in the SA20 and didn't try to do anything fancy. They stuck to their basics and latched onto the crunch situations which resulted in their domination all through the tournament.
The Sunrisers Hyderabad won just four out of their 14 games in their previous season. They were never in the tournament and kept losing matches after matches. They can seriously take a leaf out of SEC's performances in the SA20 and replicate it in the IPL.
# 3. Role Clarity
Having role clarity is of utmost importance whenever you are playing a team sport. The reason why Sunrisers Eastern Cape gave a great account of themselves in both editions of SA20 was due to the role clarity of their players.
Daniel Worrall and Marco Jansen were predominantly given the new ball and were asked to operate in the middle overs. Meanwhile, Ottniel Baartman was the designated death-over bowler and they kept sticking to their plan.
When you have youngsters like Umran Malik in the side, the players need to have role clarity which they had lacked in the last few seasons.