With the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 season having finally begun, SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) have once again started their campaign with defeats. The David Warner-led side lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by six runs, on Wednesday. They also crashed to a defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Sunday. The recent results are not a good sign for Hyderabad cricket fans, with many stating their frustration with the team on social media. Even tennis star Sania Mirza's father Imran Mirza took to Twitter to express his dissatisfaction about the absence of local talent in the outfit.
Also unhappy with Hyderabad not being chosen as a venue for IPL 2021, Imran Mirza wrote, "No local player was considered good enough to be selected in SRH. They even didn't think Hyderabad is a safe venue to host matches while seriously Covid-hit centres got the nod. Looks like SRH will end up with few wins and a dwindling home support. Time to introspect."
Here is the tweet:
Mohammed Azharuddin, current president of the Hyderabad Cricket Association, had also offered facilities of the HCA for IPL 2021. But the BCCI reportedly didn't take up the offer. Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, New Delhi, and Kolkata have been selected as the venues for the ongoing season.
Sania Mirza and her father are natives from Hyderabad, a city which is known for producing cricket and badminton stars. Mohammed Siraj was born in Hyderabad, and made his debut for India after IPL 2020. Retired icon VVS Laxman is also a cricketer from Hyderabad, considered by many to be amongst the greatest Test players.