The Sunrisers started off with a bang in the current IPL edition at home. Ishan Kishan’s sensational century helped them to get a mammoth score of 286 in their opening game. The tempo of that game must have pumped up the adrenalin levels of their fans as well. However, sustaining that frenetic pace in just about every game is almost impossible. The risk-reward equation will be a factor in the T20 format, but the rewards need to be reviewed periodically. The Sunrisers’ “fearless brand’ of cricket has not worked in their favour save the opening game of the season. Is it premature to temper down their aggression a bit? Is it worthwhile to change the core belief of the team? Is it a case of playing the waiting game until favourable results are achieved? These questions will be crossing the minds of the Sunrisers’ leadership group. And these questions need to be answered sooner rather than later.
Having watched the Sunrisers team bat so far, it is obvious that they have not looked beyond plan A. One school of thought is to try and establish a core plan and stick to it, no matter what. At times, having no option is the best option. But that thought process needs top notch execution of the plan, which has been missing from the Sunrisers. The other school of thought would make provisions for flexibility and improvisation when plans are made. Cricket is a game that can throw up myriad variables, and as such, plans with flexibility might be the preferred route for many. This option is primarily dictated by the composition of the squad and the conditions at the venues.
The Sunrisers have a batting unit that can blast the opposition attacks away. The mandate for Head and Sharma will be to maximise the power play. They did a good job of it last year, but the rival teams’ analysts are constantly working out methods to contain them. Ishan Kishan plays extremely well in this format and fits the Sunrisers set up and ideology to the T. Nitish Reddy, Klassen and Aniket make up the middle order. Reddy is an exciting all-rounder, Klassen is arguably one of the best T20 players in the World. Aniket has been a revelation this season and he has saved the blushes for the Sunrisers in this season. With this batting line up, the Sunrisers cannot be faulted for resorting to play in an ultra-aggressive fashion. But, how aggressive do they need to bat in every game is the key to their success.
Do they need to target 240 plus on every occasion because they have an explosive batting line up? This is where the flexibility factor in the core plan comes into play. Setting a target needs to be decided based on the conditions of the pitch, dew, bowling attack, etc. The surfaces in Hyderabad are full of runs and it is a serious challenge to set a target there. Therefore, there is no option but to go hammer and tongs because no score can be deemed safe. But the Sunrisers have been adopting that strategy in other venues as well. The other issue is that they collapsed badly in the game they chased. This might also cast a doubt or two in their decision making. For a side having a great batting line up, they need to be clear if their strength is setting a target or chasing one.
The top performers with the bat in this IPL season have been the ones who have kept their options open. Mitchell Marsh for one, does not look to play pre-determined shots and just hits through the line. He prefers to play straight down the ground and if at all, he prefers leg side when boundaries are small. I am not suggesting that the Sunrisers’ batters employ someone else’s method because it is successful, but to provide for some flexibility in their plans. Aniket Verma has done that extraordinarily well and it will be worthwhile for others to take a leaf out of his book.
The batting issues apart, the Sunrisers’ bowling unit doesn’t look settled either. They have a serious challenge what with the Uppal Stadium pitches being very flat. Zeeshan Ansari has looked impressive, but Zampa has been expensive. If Zampa gets it right, two wrist spinners bowling in tandem could be the best thing that can happen for the Sunrisers. The spinners need to play a big role for the Sunrisers at least when they play at home. The economy rate of their fast bowlers is not great, a fact that will add strength to that theory. Cummins and Simarjeet have been expensive, but their numbers at home cannot be the yardstick to gauge them.
It is early days yet, but the Sunrisers need to work out a lot of things before it is too late. Cummins is a cool customer, and he is experienced enough to not get ruffled by the ebbs and flows of this competition. But even for a successful captain like him, the need to review and bring in some flexibility into his planning cannot be ignored. They have tried their plan A in the opening stages of the IPL and going by the results, there is a need to look at other ways to reach their destination. As of now, they have the time, but do they have the inclination? We will have to wait and see.
I think Cummins has terribly underperformed as a bowler. With him looking out of sorts, the bowling looks very thin, whether at home or away. Long tournament ahead though – and full marks to their scouts for unearthing Aniket and Zeeshan – two fantastic players for the future for India
My way or the highway…………… Approach many a times feels like that.
A “bazball” like approach gone terribly wrong though one would say this is the format that demands it. While their batting failure is where all the focus is, that bowling line up of theirs is not quite inspiring.