CHENNAI: Sunrisers Hyderabad have a problem. Their ultra aggressive front-footed batting approach can excite. It can also flatline pretty spectacularly because that's the nature of the beast in this format.
People will criticise them on the days this approach fails but hail it on the days it succeeds. That, though, is post-facto. What the franchise will tell you is their hedonism has given them an identity in a more or less homogenous league.
If Pat Cummins and the leadership group, including the support staff, promoted a feeling of freedom in 2024, their task in 2025 lies in ensuring the team doesn't lose their discipline while using that freedom to their advantage.
When the season began, fans of the league believed they would become the first side to breach the 300-run mark in the league, perhaps as early as this year. That prophecy almost came true in the first game as they rollicked on to 286. Since then? It's been slim pickings.
Even if several of their players have stuck in and shown glimpses of their abundant talent, the point of difference between this and last year is how they have started in the front-end. Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head — Travishek as they were christened last year — blew teams out of the water in the powerplay itself. Bowling sides lost control fairly quickly and pretty much set out on damage limitation for the rest of the innings.
That opening partnership was the source of the blue touchpaper being lit in 2024. In 2025, the first-wicket stand has contributed 30 runs in three overs if you discount the opening match. Because the batters to follow know they have to play a certain way, coming in after an early-wicket is far harder than when the bowlers are weary.
Hence, the early loss of a wicket has kind of led to a cascading result in each of the last three Hyderabad games. For a side used to going in search of an above-par score, these matches can come with the territory. That's why they ended up losing four wickets inside the powerplay against Delhi. It's also why they ended up losing half the side with 35 balls remaining against Lucknow.
It led to criticism from leading pundits. However, coach Daniel Vettori, if anything, vowed to double down. "There's no conversations around that (playing a more risk-free brand of cricket)," he had after the last game. "We definitely want to play an aggressive brand. If you look at our top three, that's how they play. They normally set the tone for the rest of us."
Normally, this sort of uncluttered, clear thinking is what works like magic in this game. Sometimes, it can lead to your downfall. Like it happened against the defending champions in a fever dream of a second innings on Thursday. Chasing 201 on a surface with some movement for the new ball, batters came and exited in a hurry.
Each of the first six wickets were skiers or taken in the slips, all of them to Hollywood strokes. After Head drove the first ball of the second innings for a boundary, he tried to loft the next ball into orbit. It was taken in the covers. Ishan Kishan's full blooded cover drive was pocketed. Nitish Reddy's airy flick was pouched. Sharma was done in by a lack of pace. This year, there have been more pace-off deliveries to Hyderabad. There is also a regression to the mean in terms of luck evening out.
All of these things have contributed to last year's finalists walking the tightrope after three consecutive losses.
Considering they have talked up a big game, they will refuse to back down. Even if other people within the game want them to look at other plans, their Plan D will also be a variation of Plan A which is to keep attacking.
With a fifth of this year's edition done, one of the season's main subplots is here. Sunrisers' Plan A vs the opposition bowlers?
