SRH Must Bully Bowlers, Out-Bat Rivals for IPL Glory, Says du Plessis

The 2016 IPL winners have shattered batting and six-hitting records across the last two seasons, yet they have fallen short of winning the title due to lack of firepower in their bowling line-up. "When I look at Sunrisers, it almost reminds me of the West Indies at the T20 World Cup, an extremely powerful batting lineup. But when I look at the squad, I ask myself, who are my wicket-takers? From a captaincy point of view, who am I throwing the ball to?

"Obviously, Cummins is the captain, so he is the go-to option. But apart from him, who are the other guys? Who are the two or three bowlers that are my bankers at the death and who will get me wickets in the powerplay? Looking at the names, I am not entirely sure who those guys are.

"So if they are going to have a successful campaign, they will have to bully opposition bowlers and build scoreboard pressure by out-batting teams. Then when the opposition comes out to bat, they look at the scoreboard, chasing 260, they get out," said du Plessis on JioStar.

That bowling imbalance was also pointed out by former India pacer Laxmipathy Balaji, who felt the trade of Mohammed Shami to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) was a blow to the side's resources with the ball. "I was a bit surprised by Mohammed Shami's trade between SRH and LSG. Of course, Harshal Patel is another option and he has experience when it comes to death bowling.

"But apart from that, the bowling lineup looks very thin. They have tried Jaydev Unadkat in the past and he will bowl a couple of overs up front as well. Then there is Shivam Mavi, another bowler who has struggled with injuries over the years.

"In the spin department too, they do not have a recognised go-to option. Yes, Zeeshan Ansari, a domestic leg-spinner, has done well. That is probably why they may have to go pace-heavy, with Ansari as their primary spin option."

England all-rounder Liam Livingstone is among the high-profile batting additions SRH have made heading into the new season, though du Plessis offered a cautious word on expectations around him, adding that he's yet to deliver on his considerable promise across several IPL stints.

"I think in this team, yes, there is an over-reliance on Pat Cummins, the bowler. If you look at the way they structured the team, when you spend so much money on someone in the auction, you are essentially saying, 'He is part of our playing XI.' So they've gone, 'We want to pick the most destructive batting lineup in the IPL when it comes to six hitting.'

"And they are all six-hitters. Liam Livingstone is an interesting one because if you look at his IPL career, he has not performed to his full potential in almost any of the teams he has played for. You would expect that he has a season in him where people in India can truly see what he can do, but he has not quite done it yet.

"So it is interesting that teams continue to back him as the overall package. I suppose that is also because of the element of spin that comes with it and all-rounders are worth their weight in gold in an auction. That is probably why he went for so much."

At the top of the order, India opener Abhishek Sharma arrives after hitting a fifty in the T20 World Cup final win over New Zealand in Ahmedabad last week. Du Plessis, however, backed Abhishek to rediscover his best form swiftly, calling the lean patch before coming good in the final a natural part of any top batter's journey.

"Expect a lot of off-spin, but I feel Abhishek has done fantastically well in IPL cricket. This kind of dip in form is very normal. Every top-performing batter goes through a season like the one he is in now. So it is just a case of staying strong through the challenges, keeping doing the same things, and continuing to focus on your process.

"There will be a time when it shifts and things turn again, and then you have to make sure you ride that wave. Obviously for him, unfortunately, it happened on the world stage where everyone wanted him to do well. He had such an incredible year before the World Cup. But he is a good player, so I am sure he will find his feet again quickly in the IPL and dominate."

- IANS