Aoba Tanaka 
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) captain Pat Cummins remained composed despite his team’s eight-wicket loss to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Qualifier 1 in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. Cummins emphasized the need to quickly move past the defeat and focus on the upcoming opportunity to qualify for the final.
“I guess we have earned the right to have one of those days and still win tournaments,” Pat Cummins stated post-match. “Not our day but good thing we have another crack at it [qualifying for the final].”
SRH, opting to bat first, struggled against KKR’s Mitchell Starc, who decimated their top order during the powerplay. The team was eventually bowled out for 159 in 19.3 overs. In response, KKR’s Venkatesh Iyer and Shreyas Iyer played unbeaten fifties, chasing down the target in just 13.4 overs to secure their place in the final.
Pat Cummins acknowledged the off-day for his team, saying, “Think you have those days in T20 cricket. Even when you are a very good side, you have some days where it doesn’t quite work out. Few guys didn’t get off to starts so we were probably short of where we wanted to be with the bat. And then yeah, couldn’t get it done with the ball. Kolkata bowled really well. That wicket got better but there was a little bit in it early. But it happens.”
A significant talking point was SRH’s decision to bring in Sanvir Singh as their Impact Player. Singh, who came in when SRH was at 121 for 6 in the 14th over, was dismissed for a golden duck by Sunil Narine. Cummins explained the rationale behind this decision, highlighting the need to bolster their batting lineup.
“Sunny [Sanvir] played the last game. We were kind of hoping not to use the batting sub to keep Umran [Malik] up our sleeve on that wicket but felt like the extra batting was important,” Cummins clarified.
Looking ahead, SRH has another chance to reach the final on Friday, when they will face the winner of the Eliminator match between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Chennai. Cummins remains optimistic about their prospects.
“Going to a new venue helps as well. It is going to be a bit different feel to here, so you start again,” Cummins said. “We have got a good body of work behind us this season to look back on, so we erase this one and move on.”
With a strong season behind them, SRH aims to regroup and seize their second chance to make it to the final, demonstrating resilience and the ability to bounce back from setbacks.
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