SRH takes pride in letting players express freely, says mentor VVS Laxman

Laxman also talked about the positives for SRH in the campaign.

After the conclusion of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018, mentor of the runner-up team VVS Laxman shared some insight into the final match against Chennai Super Kings from the point of view of Sunrisers Hyderabad. According to Laxman, the bowlers are not to be blamed for the 8-wicket loss against the champions CSK.

The bowling department has been the strong point of the franchise throughout the tournament, and so was the case in the final as well but only for the first five overs. On that night, however, Shane Watson turned the tables completely and marched his team to the title with absolute disdain.

“If you look back, our bowlers were on top till the fifth over. However, the momentum shifted from sixth and seventh overs,” Laxman said. “Watson was just unstoppable at hitting — even what appeared to be wicket-taking deliveries — to the fence consistently. He was simply unstoppable. We have to accept that sometimes an individual like Watson can snatch the game away with his brilliance,” he was quoted as saying by sportstar.

No pressure of the final

But there was no pressure on any SRH player going into the game, and they would’ve wanted to execute their plans just like they did in the second qualifier against KKR. Sunrisers did everything within their powers, and it was just the sheer brilliance of the Australian that outdid them in the final clash. Laxman says that SRH team takes pride in this sense of freedom within the unit.

“There was no pressure on us in the final. It was a good score we posted. In fact, we were just as calm and composed as we were right through and also in the crucial playoff match against Kolkata Knight Riders. This is what we as a franchisee always take pride in — letting players express themselves freely on and off the field,” Laxman added.

Biggest positives

He also listed the three biggest positives that the team took away from this year’s IPL. Kane Williamson and his outstanding leadership in the tournament, as well as his batsmanship, comes at number one. The special talent Rashid Khan is also there.

“Well, the three biggest positives for Sunrisers in this IPL were 1) Kane Williamson as captain and batsman; he was sensational; 2) The way we won matches under tremendous pressure, defending low totals; 3) he evolution of Rashid Khan as a high-impact bowler with his great consistency and wicket-taking ability,” Laxman stated.