Last Updated:May 28, 2026, 19:45 IST
Ashwin opined that the SRH failed to adapt to conditions away from home as one of the crucial factors for their exit from the tournament.
Sunrisers Hyderabad were knocked out of the IPL 2026 playoffs in the eliminator by Rajasthan Royals, who moved into the qualifier 2 with their 45-run win over SRH at Mullanpur on Wednesday.
Former RR star Ravichandran Ashwin opined that the SRH failed to adapt to conditions away from home as one of the crucial factors for their exit from the tournament.
“SRH’s inexperienced bowling attack have overdelivered by mastering their home conditions," he started.
“For Eshan Malinga, Praful Hinge, Shakib Hussain and Pat Cummins to boot, worked well in Hyderabad as it isn’t a grassy wicket and is two paced," the all-rounder added.
“So they opted to bowl brave as they know it would be a high scoring game," he said.
“The issue unfortunately is that the inexperienced bowlers can’t read the pitch and adapt to it on the fly."
“Their plan was to bowl Yorkers to Sooryavanshi, but T20 cricket is ruthless in the sense that if you plans doesn’t work, and the same batter is on strike, duplication of Yorker is difficult," Ashwin continued.
“And if he is still on strike for the next ball, it becomes even more difficult as it is impossible to deliver 36 Yorkers in the powerplay."
“I feel SRH did not focus on their construction of overs. What they should have done is mix up Yorkers with wide slower ones with fielders in," he explained.
RR posted 243, powered by teenager Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s explosive 97 off 27 balls, featuring 12 sixes and 5 fours. He raced to a fifty in 16 balls and took RR to 80 in the powerplay and past 100 by the eighth over, adding 125 runs for the opening stand before falling just short of a century. Jaiswal made 29, while Dhurv Jurel (a 20-ball fifty) and Riyan Parag (26 off 12) added a 55-run stand. Praful Hinge finished with three wickets, dismissing Sooryavanshi, Jurel and Parag, while Eshan Malinga and others chipped in as RR closed on 243/8, with Ravindra Jadeja unbeaten on 12 alongside Sushant Mishra.
In the chase, Jofra Archer struck early to remove Abhishek Sharma for a duck and later dismissed Ishan Kishan (33 off 11) and Travis Head (17 off 8), leaving SRH in trouble at 81/5 after Yash Raj Punja sent back Heinrich Klaasen (18 off 10). Smaran Ravichandran was out for 1 to Nandre Burger. Nitish Kumar Reddy (38 off 20) and Salil Arora (35 off 21) added a 51-run stand before Jadeja removed Reddy and later Arora. Sushant Mishra dismissed Pat Cummins for 1 and later accounted for Shivang Kumar, who made a fighting 27. Burger also removed Malinga for 5, as SRH were bowled out for 196 in 19.2 overs and eliminated from the tournament.
