Mumbai: Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) captain Pat Cummins remained optimistic despite his team’s seven-wicket defeat to Delhi Capitals (DC) in Visakhapatnam. This loss marked SRH’s second consecutive setback, but Cummins highlighted key positives, particularly Aniket Verma’s impressive performance.
Aniket, a relatively unknown player before the tournament, delivered a stellar knock of 74 off 41 balls, featuring five boundaries and six sixes. His innings gave SRH a fighting chance, but early wickets and run-outs hampered their progress, preventing them from setting a more formidable total.
Speaking after the match, Cummins acknowledged the team’s struggles but emphasized that minor adjustments could lead to a turnaround.
“Aniket gave us a score, but we lost a few early wickets. Not all bad shots, run-outs too—it happens. I don’t think it’s margins with our style; not everything went our way in the last two games. Maybe we just need to do one or two things differently, and the results would change,” Cummins said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
He also heaped praise on Aniket, calling his performance “super impressive” and expressing confidence in the squad.
“Aniket wasn’t well known but was super impressive coming into the tournament. He was fantastic and gave us half a chance. Overall, guys have shown glimpses of what they can do, don’t think we’ll change too much,” he added.
Match Summary
SRH won the toss and opted to bat first but struggled against Mitchell Starc’s early breakthroughs. SRH was reduced to 37/4 before a crucial 77-run partnership between Aniket Verma (74 off 41) and Heinrich Klaasen (32 off 19) brought some stability. However, Kuldeep Yadav (3/22) and Starc (5/35) struck at regular intervals, bundling SRH out for 163 in 18.4 overs.
During DC’s chase of 164, an 81-run opening stand between Jake Fraser McGurk (38 off 32) and Faf du Plessis (50 off 27) effectively sealed the game within the first 10 overs. Despite DC losing a few wickets and slipping to 115/3, Abishek Porel (34* off 18) and Tristan Stubbs (21 off 14) ensured an easy victory with four overs to spare.
Mitchell Starc was named ‘Player of the Match’ for his five-wicket haul, which played a pivotal role in DC’s dominant win.
Despite back-to-back losses, Cummins remains confident in his squad as SRH looks to bounce back in their upcoming matches.
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