Champions League T20 2013: Sunrisers Hyderabad - Tactical Analysis, a conundrum and the final verdict

Will Shikhar Dhawan continue his dream run?

Sunrisers Hyderabad made complete use of their home advantage, with seven of their ten victories in the league stages coming at their home ground (Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal) en route to the play-offs, in what turned out to be a dream debut season for the franchise in the Indian Premier League 2013.

Their only loss at home came against Chennai Super Kings under bizarre circumstances as a new track was preferred for that particular league match at Uppal ahead of the typical spin friendly track which had helped Sunrisers skittle other visiting teams out without breaking a sweat all season.

The fresh pitch, which turned out to be a flat one, played straight into the hands of CSK who set a daunting target of 224 to inflict the first home defeat on the Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Amit Mishra, who was tormenting the visiting teams till then, looked flat and went wicketless, conceding 41 in his quota of four overs.

The thumping defeat at the hands of CSK and the fact that they were able to win only three of their nine away matches in the IPL, reveals a great deal about their monotonous approach.

Are Sunrisers just a one trick pony? With no home advantage in CLT20, what are the possible hindrances they could face?

There are a few major issues that Sunrisers need to address real quick to be competitive in the Champions League main stages. Among other aspects that would be discussed are – the starting eleven, a conundrum and the final verdict.

Life without spinners:

Though successful in helpful conditions, Amit Mishra has been a dud for the Sunrisers on flat tracks

The match against CSK also laid bare Sunrisers’ over-dependence on their spinners. While the combination of their leggies, Mishra and Karan Sharma, worked wonders in home fixtures, the duo failed to inspire confidence in their away games.

Amit Mishra took 12 wickets in seven home games at an economy rate of 4.68 as against only 9 wickets in the remaining 10 games at a substandard economy rate of 8.1 runs per over (the aforementioned match versus CSK has been excluded and is considered as an away game in the analysis, owing to the explicit difference in the nature of the pitch).

The fact that Mishra, the Sunrisers’ premier bowler of the season, was not even deemed fit to complete his quota of four overs in 4 of their 9 away matches, shows that he is not dependable when pitches turn alien to spin. Karan Sharma’s case was not much different.

You really cannot find fault with them. Just as a fast bowler cannot be expected to take wickets on a turning track, a spinner should also be exempted from any such expectations on a flat deck. But I have pointed it out only to emphasize the fact that Sunrisers are in a spot of bother as a result of their inflexible approach.