- April 28, 2025
Let’s be honest, when it comes to Sunrisers Hyderabad this season, it is usually a roast of the batting order. Everyone has something to say about under-performing stars and inconsistent starts; however, maybe it is time to shine the flashlight on the other half of the squad: the bowlers. Let’s be serious. No matter how many runs you put up, you still have to defend them, and SRH has been awful, leaking runs like a bad tap. So, how guilty is the bowling unit for SRH’s disappointing season?
The Numbers Don’t Lie: Bowling Economy Is a Red Flag
While most of the heat has been on the batting woes of SRH, the bowling stats are quite damning in silence as well. The Sunrisers have failed to restrain their opposition under 9 runs per over throughout an innings, not with a single team combination, that isn’t bad luck – that is a trend. And, in T20 cricket, economy matters. A lot.
Since being brought in as the new spearhead, Mohammed Shami has struggled to find his mojo. He has long been a good power-play bowler in IPL, but he’s been expensive this year as he has failed to find that incisive edge. Okay, he is returning after an injury and has not played much international cricket recently, but expectations were high, particularly given his IPL performances in the past. When your striker bowler cannot strike, it’s a worry.
Harshal Patel, however, has stepped up and delivered. He looks sharp and he looks smart, and at times, been getting SRH out of worse situations. There is only so much one man can do to carry the attack.
Missing Pieces in the Puzzle
Let’s discuss squad balance. Adam Zampa’s exclusion from the playing XI has raised many eyebrows. Yes, SRH had to balance having a weak batting order and often played with an extra batter, but by leaving Zampa out, one of the most dependable T20 leg-spinners in the world, they lost their control in the middle-overs. This is a compromise that has not resulted in any reward.
The initial thought process was that Shami and Harshal would be an upgrade over Bhuvneshwar Kumar and T. Natarajan. In retrospect, that choice has not worked out. Bhuvi and Natarajan were not flattering, but consistent and aware of how to bowl in Indian conditions. Even worse, there was a lack of a supporting cast, no second spinner to pick up the slack, and no all-rounder to take some critical overs. It has all felt a bit makeshift.
Fitness and Form: A Deadly Combo (for the Wrong Reasons)
Let’s get straight to the point—fitness. T20 cricket has not just become a skill game, it’s just a grind! And for bowlers, fitness is everything and defines not only how long you can stay relevant, but also how effective. Shami has been a horse in the Tests and ODIs, but has consistently had fitness issues. Then there is age and injury recovery, so is anyone surprised he is not producing those toe-crushing Yorkers anymore?
On flat Indian surfaces, it’s necessary to have that added zip, that one last ounce of stamina to be able to bowl smartly under pressure. If you don’t have that ability, you are just one of those medium pacers who feed boundaries. That doesn’t mean Shami is finished—but this season he is clearly off his peak and hurting SRH more than they could ever have thought or imagined.
That may be a more reasoned approach to stop blaming only one person. Cricket is a TEAM sport, and particularly T20 cricket, and you don’t win titles when at least half of the team is not performing. Can SRH make a comeback next season with a more well-rounded team? Or are we looking at another year of another “what if”?
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