‘We keep losing wickets in the powerplay’ - Brian Lara's critical assessment of SRH's batting unit following defeat against KKR

The 47th game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 featured a clash between the Aiden Markram-led Sunrisers Hyderabad and the two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Thursday, May 4.

Having posted 171 runs on the board, Hyderabad came in to chase the target down. However, through subpar performances from the hosts, Hyderabad succumbed to defeat, as they only managed to score 166 runs and registered their sixth loss of the season.

After their loss, head coach Brian Lara came forward and blamed the batting unit for the defeat. Hyderabad had a strong grip on the game, however, they could not amount to much after the dismissals of Heinrich Klassen and Aiden Markram.

"We keep losing a couple of wickets in the powerplay. That always sets you back a bit. We asked [Heinrich] Klaasen, who has been batting tremendously for us, to do all the hard work again. He's coming in at No. 6, and we've got five quality players before him," Brian Lara said at the post-match press conference.

"It's always been a task; I wouldn't say uphill. Obviously, the batters will know that the responsibility of winning the game on such a good batting track lay in their hands, and we were unable to do it," he added.

Place a little more importance on partnerships: Lara

Markram and Klassen were the highest run-getters for Hyderabad during the run chase against Kolkata. Both batters amassed 41 and 36 runs to their names, respectively, and looked set to propel the side to a win. However, following their dismissals, the team crumbled under pressure and eventually lost the game. Reflecting upon it, Brian Lara opined that the batters should look to place some more importance on maintaining partnerships and use ‘a little bit of upstairs’ as well.

"I just believe that we have to place a little more importance on partnerships and understanding a little bit of match awareness. It's all great to be aggressive and have all the intent. But you got to use a little bit of upstairs to get the job done," Lara concluded.