HYDERABAD: After 20 days on the road, Sunrisers Hyderabad return to their base at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in a much better frame of mind than Royal Challengers Bengaluru, their opponents on Thursday.
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The hosts did well to take down Mumbai Indians with a record score (277/3) and Chennai Super Kings in their two matches here and would look to maintain home supremacy against a beleaguered RCB, who are struggling for answers on all fronts.
The Sunrisers' roadshow turned out to be even more impressive with wins over Punjab Kings, RCB - again with a record total (287/3) - and Delhi Capitals. The Delhi match threatened another run riot but the eventual 266/7 was enough to secure a 67-run victory.
The template they set during the win against MI - pile on the runs and let scoreboard pressure do the rest - has been successfully implemented against all teams and the hosts will fancy their chances against RCB.
The ultra aggressive opening pair of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma is deservedly getting a lot of credit for SRH's success. But credit is also due to the leadership skills of Pat Cummins.
The Australian has rallied the team well after the initial setbacks against Kolkata Knight Riders and Gujarat Titans by infusing a sense of belief in the team.
Abhishek is reaping the rewards for his hard work in the off-season with Yuvraj Singh and in Head, he has found a partner willing to dismantle rival attacks for fun. They have already racked up a few records - IPL's highest powerplay score of 125 and fastest individual fifties for SRH - and many more are likely to tumble if their form is any indication.
Head and Abhishek apart, the SRH middle order comprising Aiden Markram, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Heinrich Klaasen has not been found wanting when the occasion demanded.
And the bowling department, calmly marshalled by Cummins, has not disappointed either. Bhuvneshwar Kumar too continues to lead the way.
