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Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have crashed out of the IPL 2026 after their crushing defeat against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Eliminator on May 27 in New Chandigarh. After Sunrisers Hyderabad missed out on another chance to lift their second IPL title, the talks about their team balance began.
They have the explosive batting unit, but their bowling strength has always been the matter of debate this season. In the league stage, Sunrisers Hyderabad showed great fight, winning 9 out of 14 matches and finishing third on net run rate.
Tom Moody reveals main problem in Sunrisers Hyderabad strategy
But when it mattered the most in the knockout game, the Hyderabad team failed to deliver and crashed out. After Rajasthan Royals qualified for Qualifier 2, former SRH head coach Tom Moody, who led the team to their maiden IPL title back in 2016, has now pointed out a clear concern.
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Moody has pointed out that SRH has built a team around heavy-hitting batters, but the lack of investment in the bowling side backfired badly this season as well. Sunrisers Hyderabad’s batting line-up once again delivered big runs in IPL 2026.
IPL 2026 exit raised questions over SRH team balance
Players like Heinrich Klaasen (624 runs), Ishan Kishan (602 runs), and Abhishek Sharma (563 runs) dominated the IPL 2026, while Travis Head also played impactful knocks and crossed the 500-run mark despite struggling for consistency with the bat.
But their bowling attack looked weak in the tournament. Eshan Malinga starred with the ball for SRH with 20 wickets, while Sakib Hussain also chipped in with 15 wickets. Even Praful Hinge and Shivang Kumar delivered in patches, but overall, their bowling attack lacked depth and experience, especially in pressure moments.
Tom Moody slams Sunrisers Hyderabad for focusing only on making brand
Moody feels this is happening because most of SRH’s budget and focus go into building a powerful batting unit, leaving the bowling attack almost ignored, and they are paying the price for that. The former head coach pointed out that even big names like Pat Cummins alone are not enough when the rest of the bowling attack does not have equal strength or variety.
Tom Moody said on ESPNcricinfo TimeOut: “It is a brand to admire, but it comes at a cost. They're yet to lift the trophy with this brand. Yes, they're giving themselves a window of opportunity. But the cost is also the fact that you need to invest to play that brand.
And that investment is lost when it comes to the bowling side. So, you're pouring a lot of money into the way you play as a batting unit. You're left short with the finances to be able to build a strong bowling unit to be able to support that.”
Brand is good but needs balance: Tom Moody's strong warning to SRH after IPL 2026 exit
Moody also cited the examples of other teams like Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), saying successful teams always maintain a better balance between batting and bowling, and that’s what SRH needs badly to make a strong comeback in the IPL 2027 and end their decade-long title drought.
He signed off by saying, “It's [about] trying to find that balance, and I think that's what RCB [Royal Challengers Bengaluru] has got. They've got that balance right. So, I'm not against the brand, but you've got to try to balance it out when you're talking about the salary cap and everything.”
