The follies of a one-trick pony: Sunrisers Hyderabad and their freefallPremium

Sunrisers Hyderabad's aggressive T20 approach faces challenges, highlighting the fine line between success and failure in cricket.

In the ever-changing world of T20 cricket, stagnation can prove suicidal.

When Sunrisers Hyderabad unveiled a new batting template last season, creating milestone after milestone en route a runner-up finish, it widened the horizons for not just franchise cricket but also the international game.

SRH’s approach in the PowerPlay, in particular, was peak T20 batting on overdrive. It forced analysts to continuously recalculate what the ideal par score was.

ALSO READ | We have to show patience and believe in what [Amorim] is building: Jones

Led by the imperious ‘Travishek’ (the opening duo of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma), Sunrisers‘ batting might allowed it the cushion of sticking to its tactics. In fact, the franchise doubled down on firepower up top with the acquisition of Ishan Kishan in the auction last year.

During a meet-and-greet with fans ahead of the season, skipper Pat Cummins was seen signing three to the crowd - a nod to the IPL’s obsession with the mythical 300-run total and SRH’s gun batting order that looked all set to scale that peak. After all, the Men in Orange had exceeded expectations, posting four of the five highest totals in IPL history in their last 16 innings.

“Expectations bring some excitement,” SRH head coach Daniel Vettori had confidently said ahead of the 2025 campaign.