Brian Lara, the head coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), lamented that his team’s chances were permanently damaged when they lost three wickets in quick succession against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the IPL 2023 match. He also acknowledged that Hyderabad would need to strengthen its batting as the competition continues.
On Friday, April 7, at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow, SRH lost to LSG by five wickets in match number 10 of the IPL 2023. Hyderabad was 50/1 after eight overs of batting first. They dropped to 55/4, though, after losing three quick wickets.
SRH ultimately only scored 121/8, which Lucknow chased down in 16 overs. Lara made the following comment in response to Hyderabad’s IPL 2023 loss, which was their second straight.
“We are dropping wickets in large groups. We lost two wickets in the first over of the first game, and tonight (Friday), we lost three wickets in seven balls, which completely changed the course of the match. We must therefore examine our batting and find a solution.”
“In my view, the pitch wasn’t good for stroke play” – Brian Lara
“The time when we lose our key players like Anmolpreet (Singh), Captain Aiden Markaram, and Harry Brook broke our momentum at that point.”
Despite acknowledging that SRH batters needed to step up their game, the West Indian legend claimed that Lucknow’s pitch wasn’t good for stroke play. Lara stated:
“In my view, the pitch wasn’t good for stroke play as it was supposed to be. I’m not using that as an excuse, but I firmly believe that our batting needs to be improved.”
To help SRH surpass the 120-run threshold, Abdul Samad (21* off 10) hit a pair of sixes.
“A total of 150-160 would have been a different story,” says Brian Lara.
Regarding the team’s decision to bat first. Lara said they knew the pitch would turn and didn’t anticipate much dew in the second half. He added more detail.
“I strongly believed that the pitch was going to support spinners and we felt that it would be beneficial for us if we were able to capitalize on the majority of the pitch. Since there wasn’t much dew on the ground, we didn’t think there was anything to be concerned about. A total of 150–160 would have been a different story, in my opinion. We lost three wickets in the span of seven balls, which essentially halted our advancement.”
The spinners from LSG were praised by the head coach of SRH for making excellent use of the conditions and their bowling. He uttered:
“On that pitch, they batted and bowled better than we did. As a team, we must accept accountability and work to get together for the upcoming match. They also bowled shrewdly as the ball spun. The batters had it tough because the fast bowlers were throwing cutters and slower balls.”
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