Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer Jaydev Unadkat addressed their struggling IPL 2025 campaign after their 38-run defeat against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on Friday. He pointed to ineffective bowling partnerships and changing pitch conditions as key factors in their poor performance, with SRH now facing likely elimination from playoff contention.
SRH's bowling unit failed to contain Gujarat Titans who posted 224 for six after being asked to bat first. Unadkat managed to claim three wickets in the final over.
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"From my experience of playing in the IPL, for a team to do well, there has to be at least three or four guys, in terms of your bowling, who have to contribute in every game. And probably this year I would say that we are lacking that when two guys are bowling well, the other three are probably not really bowling in tandem," Unadkat explained.
"Like we look at partnerships in terms of batting, I think it's the same in bowling as well. Because when you are not bowling well from both the ends, it creates unnecessary pressure on the other guy. And then the plans also change. So we have to take the blame for not being the best bowling side in the tournament," he added.
"When you want to win games, you got to be the best. And we haven't been the best. I can't say that there is anything that we lack in terms of practicing and training and planning. It's just the execution out there on the field, which can go wrong at times."
SRH, who reached the final last season with aggressive batting, started this season strongly by posting 286 against Rajasthan Royals. However, they currently sit second from bottom with just three wins from ten matches.
"Last year, we scored 200-plus in four or five matches, and that gave us a sense that we had set a standard. But that can't always be the norm. Other teams and batters are planning better now, and bowlers are also adapting and coming up with new strategies," Unadkat said.
"Last year, swing was enough to make an impact, but this year, it's about using variations effectively. Also, the pitches are playing a big role. Last year we had a lot of flat pitches, whereas this time we've had more difficult ones. That's why we haven't been able to carry the same momentum."
In their chase against GT, SRH managed 186 for six despite a promising start.
"Look, honestly we felt we could have restricted them to around 200. We didn't field well and that was a reason - maybe a couple of dropped catches and a couple of misfields were the reason why we gave those extra 20-25 runs," Unadkat stated.
"When you're bowling first, you want to restrict or get early wickets. We couldn't and at the same time we also gave away a few more runs in the powerplay... we just couldn't capitalise in the batting innings as well. They bowled in the right areas, executed their plans better than us."
Gujarat Titans' Gerald Coetzee, who took one wicket for 36 runs in his season debut, praised his team's batting performance.
"I think the batters have been very consistent. They're just playing good cricket shots. I think there's not much slogging going on. So maybe it's not as flashy, but I mean, it does the job perfectly," said the South African pacer.
SRH's bowling unit failed to contain Gujarat Titans who posted 224 for six after being asked to bat first. Unadkat managed to claim three wickets in the final over.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel.
"From my experience of playing in the IPL, for a team to do well, there has to be at least three or four guys, in terms of your bowling, who have to contribute in every game. And probably this year I would say that we are lacking that when two guys are bowling well, the other three are probably not really bowling in tandem," Unadkat explained.
"Like we look at partnerships in terms of batting, I think it's the same in bowling as well. Because when you are not bowling well from both the ends, it creates unnecessary pressure on the other guy. And then the plans also change. So we have to take the blame for not being the best bowling side in the tournament," he added.
"When you want to win games, you got to be the best. And we haven't been the best. I can't say that there is anything that we lack in terms of practicing and training and planning. It's just the execution out there on the field, which can go wrong at times."
SRH, who reached the final last season with aggressive batting, started this season strongly by posting 286 against Rajasthan Royals. However, they currently sit second from bottom with just three wins from ten matches.
Jaydev Unadkat and Harshal Patel has been best bowler for SRH this season pic.twitter.com/kJEnkJ90E0
— CWM (@Cricketwithme15) May 2, 2025
"Last year, we scored 200-plus in four or five matches, and that gave us a sense that we had set a standard. But that can't always be the norm. Other teams and batters are planning better now, and bowlers are also adapting and coming up with new strategies," Unadkat said.
"Last year, swing was enough to make an impact, but this year, it's about using variations effectively. Also, the pitches are playing a big role. Last year we had a lot of flat pitches, whereas this time we've had more difficult ones. That's why we haven't been able to carry the same momentum."
In their chase against GT, SRH managed 186 for six despite a promising start.
"Look, honestly we felt we could have restricted them to around 200. We didn't field well and that was a reason - maybe a couple of dropped catches and a couple of misfields were the reason why we gave those extra 20-25 runs," Unadkat stated.
"When you're bowling first, you want to restrict or get early wickets. We couldn't and at the same time we also gave away a few more runs in the powerplay... we just couldn't capitalise in the batting innings as well. They bowled in the right areas, executed their plans better than us."
Gujarat Titans' Gerald Coetzee, who took one wicket for 36 runs in his season debut, praised his team's batting performance.
"I think the batters have been very consistent. They're just playing good cricket shots. I think there's not much slogging going on. So maybe it's not as flashy, but I mean, it does the job perfectly," said the South African pacer.
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