SRH coach Brian Lara: ‘Umran Malik has not been in form’

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) head coach Brian Lara says Umran Malik has not been in form, justifying his absence from the team. The coach added that while the think tank have high hopes from Umran, they need to put the best XI out on the field.

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Sunrisers Hyderabad have been criticised for mishandling of Umran Malik. This year he has played just seven games, taking five wickets at an economy of 10.35 per over. He last played a game for SRH on April 29.

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“You just have to look at the form of the player. We have great expectations of Umran, and he has got Dale Steyn to work with. But we have to play each game to win. We have to put our best eleven out on the field. And now, with the Impact Player, our best 12. It’s strictly on the fact that it’s about the form of the player that we look at before picking the team,” Lara said after SRH were beaten by Gujarat Titans.

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The young speedster from Jammu and Kashmir was a revelation last season. The tearaway pacer impressed all with the express pace at his disposal. Former speedsters like Brett Lee and Shoaib Akhtar used to watch him closely.

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan, who is part of IPL commentary panel, expressed displeasure with Malik not playing enough this season. Expressing unhappiness he tweeted, “League’s fastest bowler sitting out baffles me. Umran Malik wasn’t handled well by his team.”

Ahead of the IPL 2021 mega auction, Umran was one of two domestic talents, who was retained by the franchise for Rs. 4 crore. However, the franchise have under utilised the young speedster this season, mainly due to his poor economy of 10.35 per over.

Also Read: ‘We rightly deserve the playoff spot,’ says GT skipper Hardik Pandya

Coming to the match, Gujarat Titans defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by 34 runs in Match 62 of IPL 2023 season and qualified for the play-offs. Shubman Gill scored a sparkling century before Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s brilliant five-wicket haul stopped GT at 188 for nine.

Following the 34-run loss, SRH were eliminated and will not be playing the playoffs this season.

Brief scores:

Gujarat Titans: 188/9 in 20 overs (Shubman Gill 101, Sai Sudharsan 47; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 5/30).

Sunrisers Hyderabad: 154/9 in 20 overs (Heinrich Klaasen 64; Mohammed Shami 4/21, Mohit Sharma 4/28).

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