After SRH’s loss to Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2023 match on Tuesday, April 18, head coach Brian Lara said the franchise’s middle order is still a “work in progress”. Lara noted that they need players like Rahul Tewatia and David Miller, who know how to finish games. Despite having 127/4 while chasing 193, Hyderabad fell 14 runs short as their middle and lower order failed to get the job done, and they were bowled out for 178 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal.
At the post-match press conference, Lara acknowledged that the team’s middle order is still in flux. He stated:
“It’s a work in progress. We need to have guys who are thinking the game throughout right till the end. There are some great examples in the IPL. Tewatia, Miller, we do need that sort of person to understand how to calculate going down, who are the bowlers going to come and plan properly. We’ve been working on that.
“We weren’t the best team today [Tuesday]. We have to accept that. Mumbai Indians was the better team today.”
SRH saw their batting order crumble early on with the loss of Harry Brook (nine) and Rahul Tripathi (seven). Mayank Agarwal held strong at the top of the order, scoring 48 runs in 41 balls. However, when Heinrich Klaasen was dismissed after a powerful 36 off 16, Hyderabad’s chase quickly fell apart.
“I felt the pitch was maybe more like a 175”: Brian Lara
Reflecting on SRH’s overall batting performance, Lara commented that they remained competitive throughout the match, yet their progress was hindered by regular wickets falling. He further explained:
“I felt we were always in the game, and I felt the pitch was maybe more like a 175. It was a little bit slow off the deck. We tried to stay in the game throughout, but we lost wickets consistently throughout our chase, and it slowed us down.
“Both Mumbai Indians and us were coming off of back-to-back victories, so we knew they were picking up some momentum, and I felt that today they played better cricket and came out on top.”