Sunrisers Hyderabad, like every other franchise, were given a chance to rebuild ahead of IPL 2022 courtesy the mega auction. After enduring a horror of a season in last year where they could muster 3 wins from 14 attempts to finish last, the auction in February came as a massive relief. They offloaded everyone barring Kane Williamson, Umran Malik and Abdul Samad. Two of them failed spectacularly while one finished as one of their top performers.
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Of the two failures, the one that hurt them the most was Williamson’s struggles with the bat after they moved on from a proven performer like David Warner who was sacked as captain midway through IPL 2021 and then dropped from the playing XI. Williamson was handed over the control of the team and they built a team around him. The early signs were ominous – season kicked off with two defeats. However, soon they found their mojo and a hope was raised. That turned out to be a false dawn and the team was left to lick its wounds, again.
IPL 2022 Record | Played: 14; Won: 6; Lost: 8; Standing: 8th
High Point of The Season
Five wins in a row that put them in the top-four race. They lost to Rajasthan Royals (by 61 runs) and Lucknow Super Giants (by 12 runs) before a terrific turnaround. They downed Chennai Super Kings, Gujarat Titans, Kolkata Knight Riders, Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore. The win over RCB was the icing on the cake as the entire contest lasted 24.1 overs. RCB were shot out for 68 and SRH overhauled the meagre target in 8 overs for a nine-wicket win.
Low Point of The Season
Five defeats in a row. It was a stunning reversal. Right after the high of bulldozing RCB, SRH set off on the path which derailed their entire campaign. They lost to GT, CSK, DC, RCB and KKR in a row. The spate of poor results meant their playoffs hopes kept fading away and eventually were knocked out of the race. Injuries to T Natarajan and Washington Sundar didn’t help either.
Captaincy Verdict
As a captain Williamson did a decent job. He oversaw five wins before the season unraveled. There was one sore point with him continuing as the opener despite consistent failures. Why didn’t he drop himself down the order earlier in the campaign? When he did, by then, it was too late.
Most Valuable Player
Umran Malik. The young pacer dazzled the IPL stage with his pace. He consistently bowled in the 150 kmphs and troubled several batters by sheer pace. He did prove to be quite expensive at times but he brought wickets and intimidated opponents.
Whenever Malik came to bowl, the eyes were glued on the speed gun. He bowled the quickest delivery (so far) of the season. He finished as their top wicket-taker of the season with 22 scalps to his name.
Major Disappointment
The form of Williamson. In 13 matches that he played, the SRH captain opened in 12 innings. He scored one half-century and managed a 216 runs in total at a poor average of 19.63. What’s alarming is the fact that he failed to even score at run-a-ball – his strike-rate for the season was a lowly 93.50. At the same time, the young Abhishek Sharma, his fellow opener, scored 426 runs at a strike-rate of 133.12.
Season Verdict
A season with a lot of promise but ultimately it will go down as a failure. Their auction strategy came under the scanner too. They boasted of a star-studded backroom staff in Brian Lara, Muttiah Muralitharan, Dale Steyn and Tom Moody but all they managed was an eighth spot in the 10-team competition.
Statistics
- Most Runs: Abhishek Sharma (426)
- Most Wickets: Umran Malik (22)
- Highest Individual Score: Abhishek Sharma – 75 vs CSK
- Best Bowling Figures: Umran Malik – 5/25 vs Gujarat Titans
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