"Don't think SRH has a batting unit that can put up 170-190" - Harbhajan Singh
Former Indian player Harbhajan Singh has opined that Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) lack the quality to bat following their five-wicket loss to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Friday (April 7).
SRH captain Aiden Markram won the toss and elected to bat first on a slow wicket at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. The decision backfired as the visitors managed to put up a mediocre 121 on the board.
Krunal Pandya (3/18) registered his second-best figures in the IPL, claiming the wickets of Mayank Agarwal, Anmolpreet Singh and Aiden Markram. Rahul Tripathi played a determined 35-run knock before he was caught by Amit Mishra at short third off Yash Thakur. Abdul Samad smashed a couple of sixes off Jaydev Unadkat in the final over.
Krunal Pandya on song here!
Picks up two key wickets in as many deliveries.
Anmolpreet Singh and Aiden Markram depart.
Live - bit.ly/TATAIPL-2023-10 #TATAIPL #LSGvSRH #IPL2023 https://t.co/33W5Uf4Gpv
While analyzing the match on his official YouTube channel, Harbhajan Singh said SRH cannot post a competitive total.
He said:
"I don't think SRH has a batting unit that can put up a score of 170-190. If Markram doesn't score, the task becomes more difficult. Tripathi is a skillful player and there is no doubt about it but he hasn't done anything significant with the bat so far this season. Maybe he might score in the season further."
Harbhajan further lauded the home team's bowling efforts with a huge amount of praise for their three spinners. He added:
"Anmolpreet did have a good start but his innings (31 off 26 balls) was ended by Krunal Pandya, who picked three wickets and bowled tremendously well. Didn't provide any chance to the batters to play the big shot."
"Bishnoi bowled well even though he picked just one wicket. He kept things tight for the batters. Need to appreciate Amit Mishra. He came today and picked two wickets. Bowled superbly with the slow balls as boundaries were longer."
"The match was very boring" - Harbhajan Singh on LSG vs SRH
Lucknow Super Giants had a good start to the low-scoring chase, with Kyle Mayers and KL Rahul adding 29 runs from the first three overs.
Mayers and Deepak Hooda were dismissed in the powerplay overs but a 55-run stand between Rahul (35 off 31 balls) and Krunal (34 off 23 balls) stabilized the proceedings. Even though three wickets fell in the middle, LSG chased 122 with four overs to spare.
A steady 50-run partnership comes up between @klrahul & @krunalpandya24 🤝🤝
Live - bit.ly/TATAIPL-2023-10 #TATAIPL #LSGvSRH #IPL2023 https://t.co/SSRuin1fsg
Harbhajan lauded KL Rahul's captaincy but felt the game was a tedious one to watch for the viewers. He said:
"It was a great captaincy by Rahul. There wasn't any need to play any big shots in the chase. He played an innings of 35 runs and Krunal played one of 34 runs. It was an easy 2 points for Lucknow."
He added:
"The match was very boring and there was no fun, there wasn't enough score, the wicket was very slow and forced SRH to surrender while batting."
Lucknow Super Giants will play their next match against Royal Challengers Bangalore on April 10. Meanwhile, SRH will take on the Punjab Kings in Hyderabad on Sunday (April 9).