'Frankly, we don't have much': Pat Cummins' HONEST assessment of SRH after drubbing by CSK

CSK inflicted a heavy defeat on SRH at the Chepauk stadium on Sunday. It is Sunrisers Hyderabad's second loss in a row following the 35-run defeat that came in the mid-week. Chennai Super Kings pummeled Sunrisers by an even bigger margin, they won the match by 78 runs. 

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Pat Cummins positive about SRH's bounce back

Following the end of the match, SRH captain Pat Cummins expressed his views on the match and stated that the losses are not a subject of concern. Sunrisers Hyderabad emerged as a force to be reckoned with in IPL 2024, pilling on record scorers after record scored. They have lost two in a row, yet they stand at the edge inside the top-4 zone. In the post-match comments segment, the SRH captain showcased a positive outlook and stated that the team would bounce back. 

"It's only a couple of losses, so we'll look to bounce back quickly".

"T20 is always on the batting side, and it has gone to a whole new level this season. The way we set up, we had the best chance if we got some really aggressive batters, and that's the way to win the tournament," Cummins said at the post-match press conference.

"Frankly, we don't have much (bowling) options. It's not Test cricket, with the ball swinging around. There's not much sideways movement, and there's not much on the wicket either.

"So, a lot of times, the best way to get a wicket is to try and defend. Batters are getting better at hitting the ball out and even getting confident. It challenges you as a bowler. But, if you have a big total like 270-280 and if you can go at 9.00 as a bowler and make an impact, it could be match-winning," said the Australian.

Analysing the reason for the loss to CSK, he admitted that the side has some work to do while chasing.

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CSK vs SRH: Chennai squeeze Hyderabad at Chepauk

Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad's belligerent 98 was complemented by a clinical bowling display, led by pacer Tushar Deshpande, as Chennai Super Kings defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by 78 runs in the Indian Premier League here on Sunday.

Invited to bat, Gaikwad's valiant 54-ball knock was the driving force which propelled CSK to an imposing 212 for three. He was ably supported by Daryl Mitchell, who returned to form with a crucial 32-ball 52 before Shivam Dube's 20-ball 39 not out took CSK past the 200 mark.

In response, SRH's ultra-cautious batting approach backfired again as they couldn't recover from Deshpande's (4/27 in 3 overs) three-wicket burst with the new ball and the middle-overs squeeze to be all out for 134 in 18.5 overs as CSK snapped their two-game losing streak.

Following the win, CSK moved to the third spot with 10 points, same as Kolkata Knight Riders, Lucknow Super Giants and Delhi Capitals. SRH, who are also on 10 points, slipped to fourth after their fourth loss.

Chasing 213 to win, Travis Head (13) and Abhishek Sharma (15) made rapid starts but Deshpande got rid of the former with a slower wide ball and then returned to remove impact sub Anmolpreet Singh with an outswinger on the stumps as the batter went for a golden duck.

Abhishek was next caught at deep point as Deshpande broke their back, leaving SRH at 40 for 3 in the fourth over.

Nitish Reddy (15) and Aiden Markram (32) tried to steady the ship but Ravindra Jadeja bamboozled the former with a bouncer, while Matheesha Pathirana produced a superb yorker to uproot the middle stump of the South African.

At 85-5 in 10.5 overs, Heinrich Klaasen and Abdul Samad joined hands but runs were tough to come by as the bowlers executed their plans to perfectly.

While Jadeja completed a superb spell of 4-0-22-1, Shardul Thakur kept bowling at wide outside off to frustrate the batters as CSK conceded just two boundaries in nine overs after the powerplay.

With an improbable 104 needed off 30 balls, Klaasen, Samad, Pat Cummins and Shahbaz Ahmed all holed out as Mitchell claimed five catches in the outfield during the match.

Earlier, Gaikwad missed out on a successive hundred by a whisker but his 107-run stand with Mitchell was the cornerstone of CSK's innings. It is CSK's 35th 200-plus total, the most by any side in T20 cricket.

Gaikwad was the star of the CSK batting as he hit 10 fours and three sixes in his innings.

Opening the innings, Ajinkya Rahane (9) perished early again with Bhuvneshwar Kumar earning his prized wicket in the third over but Gaikwad kept CSK going. The skipper did not back down and attacked the bowlers at will as the hosts ended the powerplay at 50 for one.

In no time, the 27-year-old Gaikwad brought up his 17th IPL half-century off just 27 deliveries.

Gaikwad and Mitchell batted sensibly as they managed to keep the boundaries coming, with the latter chipping in periodically too after a slow start (12 off 11).

With dew setting in the 12th over, the batting duo tried to take advantage of it as Mitchell soon brought up his maiden IPL 50 off 29 deliveries in the 13th over.

But the New Zealander failed to get going for too long and perished in the following over to Jaydev Unadkat after depositing a full-toss into the hands of Nitish Kumar Reddy in the deep mid-wicket.

In-form Shivam Dube then joined Gaikwad and the two decided to up the ante. SRH skipper Pat Cummins was targeted by the batters, having been dispatched for 49 in his four overs.

Gaikwad looked set to back-to-back tons but the heat and humidity of Chennai seemed to affect him as his vigil ended with a tired-looking shot as T Natarajan sent him back in the final over.

Crowd-favourite MS Dhoni scored five off two deliveries that included a four, while Dube deposited a full toss in the stands as the final four overs yielded 53 runs. 

(With inputs from PTI)