"When Muralitharan Showed His Anger...": Mohammad Kaif On The Turning Point In SunRisers Hyderabad's Poor Run
SunRisers Hyderabad have won only five out of their 11 matches to be placed seventh in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022
SunRisers Hyderabad has had a topsy-turvy run in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. After losing their first two games, the Kane Williamson-led side won their next five game to enter the top-four in the points table. However, they have now lost their last four games to be placed seventh in the points table. SRH face the eighth-placed Kolkata Knight Riders on Saturday in a crucial match. Before the match, former Indian cricket team player Mohammad Kaif gave his take on where SRH faltered.
“I don't think they are now the strong team that SRH once was in fast bowling. Since they've dropped Jansen, they went to Kartik Tyagi. They went to some other bowler. I don't think they are the same team any more. The SRH side which made a comeback with five-match winning streak after losing the first two games had four bowlers in Natarajan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umran Malik, and Jansen. These four bowlers won them matches but now they're not playing together,” Kaif said in an interview on Sportskeeda Cricket.
“Also, another problem was when Muttiah Muralitharan (SRH spin bowling coach) showed his anger in the dressing room during the game where Rashid Khan slammed Jansen for sixes (in a match against GT). That match broke SRH's rhythm. What happened with KKR has happened here too. The moment you shout or show anger in the dressing room…Muralitharan is usually a calm and composed person but he lost cool at Jansen there. When you do these things, the team atmosphere isn't at a good space. Jansen was dropped after that game. Jansen has done well throughout the IPL 2022, but if you drop him and play Kartik Tyagi…I didn't understand that decision at all.”
In the match that Kaif is referring too, SRH failed to defend a 195-run total with Rashid Khan playing a 31*-run cameo off just 11 balls. It was the start of SRH's four-match losing streak.
Muttiah Muralitharan
Sunrisers Hyderabad