IPL 2020: 3 Mistakes committed by SRH against RCB

The third game of IPL 2020 was like a tilting board. The game changed its side numerous times and Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) finally clinch the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). They won the encounter by 10 runs but mere 5 overs before the last ball, Sunrisers were cruising towards a one-sided victory. However, a batting collapse helped RCB to win their first game of the season.

In the first innings, with the magnificent efforts from debutant Devdutt Padikkal and AB de Villiers, RCB posted a respectable total. However, the dominant partnership from Jonny Bairstow and Manish Pandey took the game away from RCB. The Bangalore’s bowlers came back stronger but there were several factors involved in SRH’s defeat.

Here are 3 mistakes committed by SRH that led them to lose their first excursion of IPL 2020:

1. Not playing Mohammad Nabi

Mohammad Nabi, the Afghanistani all-rounder was in the extraordinary form in Caribbean Premier League. The all-rounder is a strong finisher and a handy off-spinner. Nabi could have been very useful with the ball against the Devdutt Padikkal as the youngster is a left-hander.

The right-hander could have been the vital cog in the batting order as well as the SRH batting unit looked quite inexperienced. He had all the capability of taking them over the line in the end and could have made a lot of difference.

2. Weak middle order

The SRH batting unit was extremely strong at the top of the order. With the likes of David Warner, Jonny Bairstow and Manish Pandey, they looked quite well equipped. But the weak middle order became the prime reason for their defeat as after the departure of the top 3, the middle order looked quite vulnerable and collapsed when the pressure increased. They were standing at 121/2 after 15 overs and were bundled up for 153 because of the batting spill.

3. Not strengthening the batting unit

SRH has always been a strong bowling unit. This time again they had experienced campaigners like Rashid Khan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar in their bowling artillery. If they would have played an Indian batsman instead of an all-rounder like Abhishek Sharma, the batting would have become stronger. Notably, SRH had a youngster like Abdul Samad in their squad who is known to slam massive sixes as a finisher in domestic cricket.