IPL 2021: 3 SRH players who starred and two players who flopped in the first half of the tournament
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will have a lot of catch-ups to do when the second phase of IPL 2021 resumes on September 19. They are placed in the eighth spot with only two points from seven outings before the tournament was postponed on May 4 due to COVID-19 crisis.
The franchise never looked set to take off as they struggled to find the right combinations. Moreover, an inexperienced middle-order didn't do any good to SRH.
Amidst all the odds, there were some cricketers who lived up to their potential but lacked support from their teammates. Let's take a look at three players who starred for SRH in the first half of IPL 2021.
The Stars
#1. Jonny Bairstow
England wicket-keeper batsman Jonny Bairstow was one of the few brightest stars in the Sunrisers Hyderabad camp in what has otherwise been a disastrous campaign for them.
Bairstow played all seven games in the first half of IPL 2021, scoring 248 runs at a blistering strike rate of 141.71 with a healthy average of 41.33, including two half-centuries.
The Englishman will hope to continue the good work when the tournament resumes and help Sunrisers Hyderabad win as many matches as possible to give them the best opportunity for a top-four finish.
#2. Manish Pandey
While his below-par strike rate was one of the most-debated topics throughout the first half of the tournament, Manish Pandey was the joint second-highest run-scorer for Hyderabad before the tournament came to a standstill.
Pandey averages over 48 in the five matches he has played this season, scoring 193 runs, including two half-centuries with the highest score of unbeaten 61 against Chennai Super Kings. He was largely responsible for keeping the SRH middle-order together.
Pandey, who is all but out of contention for a spot in the T20 World Cup spot, will look to make full use of the opportunity and make a case for himself.
#3. Rashid Khan
Ever since his debut for SRH in 2017, Rashid Khan has turned out to be an integral member. He has been a consistent performer in the IPL, picking up 85 wickets in 69 matches with the best figures of 3/7.
The leg-spinner from Afghanistan was in his element once again this year, scalping 10 wickets from seven matches at an economy rate of 6.14. Rashid is also very handy in the lower-order and played a quickfire knock of 17 runs in the lower-order.
The 23-year-old will hope to continue the good work when the tournament resumes on September 19.
While there were a couple of star performers for SRH, a couple of players flopped to showcase their talent in the first half. Let's take a look at two of their worst players in the first half of IPL 2021.
The Flops
#1. Vijay Shankar
A couple of years back Vijay Shankar emerged as the ideal replacement for Hardik Pandya. However, he has slowly faded, mostly due to his inconsistency with both bat and ball.
His poor form continued in IPL 2021, where he managed only 58 runs from seven outings with the highest score of 28 runs. With the ball, Shankar picked up only three wickets at an economy rate of over 9.
Vijay Shankar's poor form with both bat and ball was one of the major reasons behind SRH's poor showing in the tournament.
#2. Bhuvneshwar Kumar
SRH is known to boast one of the best bowling units in the tournament. This time around, they failed to put on an impressive show with the ball. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the leader of the pack, looked off-colour in the first phase of IPL 2021.
The senior fast bowler picked up only three wickets from seven matches and shelled runs at an economy rate of over 9. Bhivneshwar's poor run was one of the reasons SRH struggled in the initial games.
With the ICC T20 World Cup to follow, Bhuvneshwar Kumar will hope to hit the right chords in the second phase of IPL 2021.