New Delhi, March 14, 2026
Former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara believes Sunrisers Hyderabad need to address their struggles in away matches despite possessing one of the most destructive batting line-ups as they prepare for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, which will commence on March 28.
Pujara pointed out that while SRH have often piled up huge totals at their home ground in Hyderabad, they have found it difficult to replicate the same aggressive approach when playing at other venues. According to him, opposition teams have started identifying SRH’s heavy dependence on their top-order batters and use that knowledge to restrict them in away games.
“SRH are a very destructive side and score a lot of runs when they play at home in Hyderabad. But away from home, their record is very poor. When they play away matches, they fail to maintain their destructive batting intent,” Pujara told Jio Hotstar.
“That is because all the teams know that SRH rely on their batting power to set big totals. Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, and Heinrich Klaasen are their main batters. Once they get dismissed, SRH struggles to get going. That is where the opposition teams take advantage and prevent them from putting up big totals. That is something they will have to work on,” he added.
At the same time, Pujara also praised the opening duo of Abhishek and Head, calling them one of the most destructive pairs the league has seen.
“In the last couple of seasons, what we have seen from the openers of Sunrisers Hyderabad, Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head, I can certainly say they are one of the most destructive opening pairs in IPL history. Both are batters who know how to attack from ball one,” he said.
“SRH has consistently crossed the 250-run mark in the last couple of seasons thanks to them. No other team in the IPL has done that consistently. That is only because of the two openers. Smashing the ball all over the park and doing it regularlysp is what makes them special.”
“When we talk about aggressive opening pairs in the IPL, the pair of Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli comes to mind. But this duo of Head and Abhishek is even more destructive. No bowler wants to run in and bowl against an opening pair like Abhishek and Head,” he added.
Meanwhile, SRH had a poor stint in the last season, where they won only six matches out of the 14 they played. Pat Cummins’s team finished in 6th position, with their opening duo also struggling for runs.(Agency)
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