Sunrisers Hyderabad’s remarkable turnaround under the leadership of Pat Cummins and coach Daniel Vettori has been a testament to their aggressive batting approach. After finishing last in 2023, the team has posted three 260-plus totals, including the highest IPL total of 287/3.
Cummins, who had never led in T20s before, credits the team’s success to giving their batters the freedom to express themselves. “We’ve given them the freedom to go and do it their way and take the game on,” he said.
Travis Head has epitomized this approach, playing with aggression and freedom. “He’s naturally aggressive,” Cummins said. “We’ve given him the freedom to go and do it his way and take the game on.”
Abhishek Sharma has also been a standout performer, opening the batting with Head. “He’s loving batting with Travis Head,” Cummins said. “Just going out, playing shots. He’s naturally aggressive.”
Vettori’s role as coach has been crucial, allowing Cummins to focus on his own game. “He’s good strategically,” Cummins said. “And he’s a great people manager. Very hands-on. The team’s responding really well to Dan.”
The high-scoring nature of this season’s IPL has presented challenges for bowlers, but Cummins believes it’s a matter of adjusting expectations. “Even if you bowl an over for eight or nine, that could be a match-winning at the right time,” he said.
Cummins also discussed the impact player rule, which allows teams to field an extra batter. “It feels like the batting order is longer now,” he said. “But as a captain, it feels like you’ve got five really good bowling options.”
Despite their success, SRH have struggled while chasing down totals. “It’s something we need to get better at,” Cummins admitted.
Overall, Sunrisers Hyderabad’s resurgence has been a result of their aggressive batting approach, led by Cummins and Vettori’s leadership.
