Talents galore but blunders have let Sunrisers down

 

By Gaurav Joshi

A team compromising of world’s premium fast bowler Dale Stein, two of the top emerging young batsmen Kane Williamson and KL Rahul, the new sultan of swing Trent Boult and the dynamic leader David Warner Sunrisers is expected to be one of the top notches in the IPL.

Add to it the high profile and much talked about coach, Tom Moody and the spin consultant, Muttiah Muralitharan and it makes a formidable team.

The team from Hyderabad, Sunrisers, has also recruited most dynamically in the off season but as the results have shown so far, the strategy and the cohesion is lacking.

Yet the results have been disappointing so far.

Moody was the most sought after in World cricket but his policy of picking a team that is pre-dominantly Test-oriented is a blunder. The coach needs to admit his mistakes.

Couple of decisions the Sunrisers have made during the campaign have been mystifying. Firstly, they decided to leave out Steyn and chose the untried Trent Boult. Then the much-fancied T20 season campaigner Eoin Morgan was left to bat far too low given his credentials. Moises Henriques has barely played a part despite his all-round potential.

Last season, the Sunrisers were the lowest scoring team in the IPL and it should have been a warning sign to strengthen their batting during the off season. Perhaps it is this fact that has cost them narrow wins earlier this season.

As we know, the T20 format is about having flexibility and depth. Had the Sunrisers with their experienced coaching staff decided to address this concern then they could well have been a lot higher on the Points Table.

David Warner should not be completely blamed as he has led admirably from the front. The development of the Sunrisers and the lack of flexibility in the team selection has meant that they are still a long way away from becoming a team that can really challenge their opponents in IPL.

 

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