IPL 2018: 3 Sunrisers Hyderabad players who should step up their game before the playoffs
Sunrisers Hyderabad became the first team to qualify for the 2018 Indian Premier League playoffs. Kings XI Punjab’s hammering at the hands of Royal Challengers Bangalore has assured a top-two finish for SRH. As a result, SRH has a high chance of reaching their second final in three years.
Kane Williamson’s tremendous run of form and excellent captaincy are the key reasons behind their qualification. With Shikhar Dhawan regaining his touch, SRH batting looks rock solid at the top. If SRH needs to win their second title, then the rest of the lineup should support their top-order. Among them, the following three players should immediately step up their game before the playoffs.
#3 Manish Pandey
For years, David Warner shouldered the batting responsibility of SRH with the help of Dhawan. To strengthen their middle-order, SRH went heavy in the 2018 auction and bought Manish Pandey for a whooping sum of INR 11 crores.
Manish Pandey was the mainstay in Kolkata Knight Riders middle-order for the past few years. Before the start of the ongoing season, SRH’s think-tank profoundly expected Pandey to replicate his KKR heroics for them. However, Pandey failed miserably for SRH with just 189 runs in 10 innings. He scored just two 50’s with one of them coming in losing cause against Punjab. His only valuable contribution in all the 12 games is his excellent fielding skills.
Perhaps the burden of enormous price tag might have affected his performance. It is high time for Pandey to come up with some good performances before the playoffs.