Hyderabad have never missed the playoffs in the last five seasons. But the franchise are in unfamiliar territory in the Indian T20 League 2021 season. With one win in seven games, they face an improbable task in the UAE leg.
Recap of Indian T20 League 2021 first leg
The 2016 champions started the season on the wrong foot. Chasing 188 against Kolkata, they fell short by ten runs. They also lost to Bangalore and Mumbai by narrow margins in the next two matches. It was the middle-order that failed to deliver in the first three matches.
Hyderabad registered their first win after an emphatic performance against Punjab. Khaleel Ahmed’s three-wicket haul helped them bundle out K L Rahul’s men for 120. They chased down the score in the 19th over for the loss of just one wicket. However, they suffered a defeat in the super over against Delhi in their fifth game.
Hyderabad suffered a fifth defeat after Chennai eased past them by seven wickets in Delhi. It prompted the team management to strip David Warner of captaincy, and Kane Williamson took over. But their fortunes remained the same. Rajasthan crushed them by 55 runs in their last match of the first leg.
Changes in the squad ahead of Indian T20 League 2021 second leg
Hyderabad had to bring a new face when Jonny Bairstow opted out of the Indian T20 League 2021 UAE leg. Caribbean batsman Sherfane Rutherford has replaced Bairstow in the 25-member squad. The left-hander, who failed to find a place in the West Indies T20 World Cup squad, is no stranger to the tournament. He has represented Delhi in the Indian T20 League 2019 season, scoring 73 runs in seven innings. Rutherford was also part of the Mumbai squad last season.
Players to watch out for in Indian T20 League 2021 second leg
Without the captaincy burden, Warner is likely to get back to what he does best. He didn’t feature in the T20Is against West Indies and Bangladesh but has an excellent record in UAE. The Aussie opener hit four half-centuries and scored 548 runs for the franchise last season. An in-form Warner is one of the worst nightmares for any bowling attack.
Rashid Khan was one of the consistent performers for Hyderabad in the first leg of Indian T20 League 2021. He has picked up ten wickets at an economy of 6 so far. The Afghanistan spinner, who grabbed 20 wickets in UAE last season, was the joint-leading wicket-taker with 12 wickets in the inaugural Hundred tournament.
In the absence of Bairstow, Williamson has a massive role to play. He rarely puts a foot wrong and lives up to the expectations all the time. Before the tournament came to a halt in May, Williamson played four games and scored a half-century in the narrow defeat against Delhi.
Expectations in Indian T20 League 2021 second leg
Reaching playoffs is an improbable task for Hyderabad. With seven games left to play, they have to win at least six to have an outside chance of finishing in the top four. Williamson and company, who will begin their campaign against an in-form Delhi, must be hoping to win as many matches as possible and avoid finishing bottom of the points table.
Top Fantasy Points scorers in Indian T20 League 2021
Rashid Khan – 326 pts, David Warner – 288 pts, Manish Pandey – 281 pts, Vijay Shankar – 194 pts, Kane Williamson – 175 pts, Khaleel Ahmed – 123 pts, Bhuvneshwar Kumar – 102 pts, Mohammad Nabi – 96 pts, Siddharth Kaul – 87 pts, Jason Holder – 83 pts, Abdul Samad – 81 pts
Parameswaran Sankaranarayanan
Parameswaran Sankaranarayan is a sports enthusiast who has worked in print, website, and other digital platforms. He was part of the editorial team of first-ever Indian football-based website - IndianFootball.com (now defunct) - and passionately follows the latest happenings in world football. During his time as a journalist, he had the opportunity to interact with some of the iconic personalities in Indian sports and witness some memorable moments in Indian football.
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