Sunrisers Hyderabad mid-season review: What went wrong with the high-fliers?

MUMBAI, INDIA – APRIL 17: Pat Cummins of Sunrisers Hyderabad celebrates the wicket of Surya Kumar Yadav of Mumbai Indians during the 2025 IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad at Wankhede Stadium on April 17, 2025, in Mumbai, India. (Photo by Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)

Sunrisers Hyderabad currently find themselves in 9th place on the points table with just 2 wins from 7 games. When they smashed a record-breaking 286 in their season opener against Rajasthan Royals, it looked like last year’s finalists were back with their fearless batting approach. Everyone assumed SRH would dominate once again. But fast forward to the halfway stage, and it’s been quite the opposite—SRH have found themselves on the receiving end far too often. So, what exactly has gone wrong?

Hits
Travis Head has been the lone standout in the batting department. He’s scored 242 runs at an average of 34.57 and a strike rate of 168, providing explosive starts at the top. In the bowling unit, Harshal Patel has been their most effective performer with 9 wickets in 6 games at an average of 21.66—even though his economy of 9.75 has been slightly on the higher side, his knack for breakthroughs has been valuable.
Misses
Abhishek Sharma’s tally of 232 runs is heavily boosted by a single knock of 141 against Punjab Kings. Outside of that, he’s lacked consistency. Ishan Kishan, who began the season with a century against RR, has fallen off drastically. The rest of the batting order has been patchy, with the middle order failing to provide stability or acceleration when needed.

The bowling department hasn’t fared much better. Even when they posted massive totals—like 286 against RR—they conceded 242 in return. Against Punjab, they leaked 245 before somehow managing to chase it down. It highlights their inability to defend big scores. Big names like Pat Cummins and Mohammad Shami have looked far from their best, and the spin department has failed to make an impact. The attack has lacked sharpness, control, and variation.
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Playoff Chances
With just 2 wins from 7 games, SRH are now in must-win territory. They’ll need to win 6 out of their remaining 7 matches to stay in the playoff race. For that to happen, their key players need to rise to the occasion—and fast. It’s a tough road ahead, but as the IPL has shown time and time again, nothing is impossible in this league.