IPL 2025: Time for SRH to rethink their aggressive approach?

The campaign of IPL 2024 runners up, Sunrisers Hyderabad has flowed against what was anticipated from the group in the season. The team, with Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head at the fore and Pat Cummins in the lead, swiftly pick the title of hard-hitters with their unreal batting show last season. While they dwindled in the final against KKR, fans awaited similar show from the SRH batters, who redefined the par score in IPL with their aggressive style of play. SRH, meanwhile, started out with a performance that promised a similar onslaught this season as well. However, barring their massive 280-run show against Rajasthan Royals in the campaign opener, SRH batters have fared eerily silent in the ongoing season.

Pat Cummins opens up on the need of reassesing the 'ultra-aggresive' batting approach of SRH in IPL 2025

Sunrisers Hyderabad endured their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, in their last fixture, falling to a dominant Kolkata Knight Riders side at the iconic Eden Gardens. Chasing a steep 201, SRH crumbled for just 120 in 16.4 overs in the KKR vs SRH IPL 2025 fixture. It marked the second instance in four games where their batting unit failed to play out the full quota of 20 overs. The much-hyped opening duo of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma has failed to deliver in the past three matches, leaving SRH languishing at the lower end of the points table.

Ishan Kishan was the standout in SRH's explosive win over Rajasthan Royals, a match where the team posted 286, second only to the highest-ever IPL total. But that high point now feels distant. Since that thumping victory, Kishan and the rest of the batting lineup have nosedived, faltering in back-to-back games and raising serious concerns about their form.

After the KKR drubbing, Pat Cummins faced the tough question, asking about the approach of the team and if it needed a reassessment. In his post-match conversation, Cummins pondered aloud whether their ultra-attacking batting style, the very identity that defined them last season, was still the right way forward. Was there merit, he asked, in adopting a more measured approach to bring consistency to the side? The Australian skipper acknowledged that a reassessment was likely due, hinting that SRH might need to rethink their tactical blueprint.

"Not a great time (in the match vs Kolkata). I think this was gettable, pretty good wicket. Left too many in the field and then fell well short in the end. We need to be realistic, three games in a row it hasn’t come off for us. We need to maybe look back at whether we could have chosen better options," Cummins said. "Our batters are best when they take the game on, but looking back, maybe we could have taken different options," he added.