Pat Cummins walked off Eden Gardens on April 3, 2025, scratching his head after Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) got thrashed by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 15th match of IPL 2025.
Chasing 201, SRH crumbled to 120 all out, and Cummins pointed to sloppy fielding and a batting collapse as the culprits. The most glaring decision? His call to use just three overs of spin on a pitch where KKR’s spinner Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine ran riot.
With SRH’s skipper admitting they banked on pacers because cutters were gripping, but with KKR’s spinners dominating, did SRH misread the surface?
How did KKR’s spinners perform?
KKR’s batting unit laid a strong foundation, posting 200/6. Venkatesh Iyer’s and Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s batting performances provided the perfect platform.
Then, it was their spinners who took center stage in the second innings. Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy made life miserable for SRH’s batters. Chakravarthy picked up 3/22 while Narine’s economical spell kept the chase in check.
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Did Pat Cummins get the pitch all wrong?
Despite KKR’s spinners making an impact, SRH bowled only three overs of spin. Cummins explained the decision post-match and said, "We only bowled three overs of spin—did not think there was a lot of spin. Cutters were gripping (for the pacers), so went down that path."
Cummins also pointed out that poor fielding hurt SRH’s chances: "Probably more (disappointed) with our fielding - a couple of catches and a few misfields that we have to tidy up. Overall, bowling was not bad, they batted well towards the end."
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With the bat, SRH’s aggressive approach backfired. Travis Head’s early dismissal set the tone, and barring Heinrich Klaasen’s 33 off 21, no batter provided stability.
"In the mid-innings break, we thought it was gettable. It was a pretty good wicket. You have to be realistic - three games in a row, it has not come off for us," said Cummins.
"Less than two weeks ago, we put on 280. Our batters are at our best taking it on, but you have to think about if you could take different options," he added.
What next for SRH and KKR?
KKR will be next seen in action against Lucknow Super Giants in match 21 of IPL 2025 on Tuesday, while SRH will face Gujarat Titans at home on Sunday.
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