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Steyn Slams SRH's Bowling "No Plans" After RCB Chase Down 201 in IPL 2026

Former South Africa pacer Dale Steyn has sharply criticised Sunrisers Hyderabad's bowling approach in their six-wicket loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru. He stated the bowlers lacked clear plans, which was evident as RCB raced to 76 runs in the powerplay. Steyn specifically questioned the decision to have Nitish Kumar Reddy bowl only two overs with the new ball before being taken off. He warned that SRH's aggressive batting template will fail on flat pitches unless the bowlers can take wickets and execute smarter plans.

Key Points: Dale Steyn Criticises SRH Bowling After IPL 2026 Loss to RCB

  • SRH lost despite 201/9 total
  • RCB chased with 76-run powerplay
  • Steyn questions bowling tactics
  • Reddy under-bowled after new ball
  • Aggressive batting needs bowling support
2 min read

IPL 2026: There were literally no plans being implemented by SRH's bowlers, says Steyn

Dale Steyn says SRH bowlers had "no plans" in RCB defeat, questions tactics and use of Nitish Kumar Reddy despite a 201-run total.

"there were literally no plans being implemented by SRH's bowlers - Dale Steyn"

New Delhi, March 29

Former South Africa pacer Dale Steyn has criticised the bowling approach of Sunrisers Hyderabad in their six-wicket defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2026, saying the side lacked clear plans in their bowling, which led to them losing despite posting a strong total of 201/9 on board.

At the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, RCB made 76 runs in the power-play phase of the chase, with Jaydev Unadkat, Harshal Patel and Eshan Malinga leaking runs. With no Pat Cummins, Nitish Kumar Reddy took the new ball, but didn't complete his full quota of overs.

"SRH skipper Ishan Kishan batted beautifully. His knock of 80 runs was beautiful to watch. I felt he controlled the innings well and allowed SRH to maintain their aggressive batting intent in the first half. But in the second half, there were literally no plans being implemented by SRH's bowlers.

"It is difficult to defend high targets with the kind of bowling attack they have. I was a bit surprised that Nitish Kumar Reddy bowled only those two overs in the Powerplay and never got the chance to bowl after that. So, there are quite a few discussions that need to happen between the SRH team management and the Captain on how best to use their resources," said Steyn on JioStar.

SRH's next game is against three-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on April 2 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Steyn, who worked as SRH's bowling coach from 2021 to 2024, after having earlier played for them in the competition, further stressed the side's aggressive batting template will only succeed if bowlers can complement it with wicket-taking spells, especially on flat tracks at home in Hyderabad.

"The kind of aggressive cricket they play, even in Hyderabad, the pitch will be a flat deck. So, they need their bowlers to take wickets and put pressure on the opposition batters.

"Otherwise, it will be a massive challenge defending a score of 200-plus runs for this SRH side with the kind of bowlers they have. They need to be smarter. They have to bowl differently and stick to a plan, which unfortunately against RCB they could not," he added.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

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Priya S
I feel for Nitish Reddy. He's an all-rounder, they gave him the new ball, and then just forgot about him? Poor man management. The captain and coach need to own this loss. Batting did their job.
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David E
Watching from the UK, it's fascinating. SRH's "see ball, hit ball" batting philosophy is thrilling, but as Steyn says, it's unsustainable without a bowling plan. You can't just rely on outscoring everyone every time, especially at Chinnaswamy.
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Anjali F
Missing Pat Cummins was huge, no doubt. But that's when you need your captain to step up with smart field placements and bowling changes. Ishan Kishan is a great batter, but his captaincy yesterday was very reactive, not proactive. Hope they learn before facing KKR!
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Vikram M
Yaar, this is the problem when you build a team around just one world-class bowler (Cummins). The Indian pace battery looks thin. Harshal's variations aren't working on these flat tracks. Maybe time to bring in a young Indian pacer from the bench?
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Sarah B
Steyn's analysis is spot on, but it's easy to criticize from the commentary box. The pressure in the middle is immense. That said, 76 runs in the powerplay is criminal. They need to go back to the basics for the next match.

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