'We could have been more proactive' - Brian Lara expresses dissent to SRH batters' approach after loss against Delhi Capitals

Sunrisers Hyderabad lost against Delhi Capitals in Match 34 of IPL 2023 on Monday, April 24 at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad. After opting to bat first, DC could only manage to score 144/9 in the first innings as Washington Sundar picked up 3/28 in four overs. However, in the second innings, SRH made a mess of a seemingly easy chase and could only reach 137/6 in their allotted 20 overs and lost the match by seven runs.

Mayank Agarwal was the top scorer for the home side as he scored 49 off 39 balls before Axar Patel dismissed him in the 12^th over to spark a collapse which saw SRH lose four wickets within 17 balls. Following the loss, SRH head coach Brian Lara said that the batters should’ve shown more intent throughout the innings and left everything too late.

"There were no devils in the pitch, and we could have been more proactive throughout the innings. We left everything too late. I prefer if my batters are a bit more enterprising and take advantage in Powerplay. We allowed them to take wickets in the middle and cramp us,” Lara said during the post-match press conference.

Lara further credited DC bowlers Ishant Sharma, Mukesh Kumar and Anrich Nortje for their exceptional bowling at the death but felt that SRH batters should’ve chased it down and needed to do a better job.

"The first 15 overs were crucial and we should have been in a much better position. With the fast bowlers coming back, we could get 12 or 13 per over but these guys – Ishant Sharma, Mukesh and Nortje are professionals and they put the balls in the right areas. However, we should have chased down that total comfortably. Our bowlers did a good job and our batters needed to do a better job," he added.

SRH and DC to face each other again on April 29

SRH were reeling at 85/5 after 14.1 overs when Heinrich Klaasen (31 off 19) and Washington Sundar (24* off 15) came together at the crease and added 41 runs off 26 balls for the sixth wicket. However, Klaasen’s dismissal in the 19^th over proved to be the game-changer for DC as they registered their second win of the season. Axar Patel was awarded Player of the Match for scoring 34(34) with the bat and picking up 2/21 in four overs.

Despite their win, DC continued to be at the bottom of the points table with two wins from seven matches with a net run rate of -0.961. The two teams will once again face each other in their next encounter on Saturday, April 29 at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi.