IPL 2020: Aakash Chopra Laments SunRisers Hyderabad's Middle-Order Following Their Dramatic Loss To RCB

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has analysed SunRisers Hyderabad’s loss against Royal Challengers Bangalore in what was their first game of IPL 2020. SunRisers Hyderabad suffered a dramatic collapse after being in a comfortable position while chasing 163. Aakash Chopra was critical of their middle-order, who could not withstand the pressure applied by the opposition.

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After the loss of their skipper David Warner in the second over, Jonny Bairstow and Manish Pandey added 71 to put the run-chase on track. It was the wicket of Bairstow for 61 in the 16th over that broke the game open for Virat Kohli’s men. The Orange Army needed 43 at that stage, which was achievable with a set batsman at the crease. Instead, they lost their last eight wickets for 32 runs, handing their opponents the victory by ten runs.

Aakash Chopra pointed out that David Warner perished in an unfortunate fashion. The 42-year old underlined that Bairstow played exceptionally well even as he received reprieves while Manish Pandey was okay. However, their later batsmen, who were inexperienced, could not deliver match-winning performances.

“When Sunrisers Hyderabad batted, Warner was out in an unfortunate fashion. Bairstow played very well albiet he got chances. Manish Pandey’s batting was okay but after that it was all downhill,” Chopra told in his Youtube channel.

“This is not going to work out” : Aakash Chopra

Aakash highlighted the lack of experience in the middle-order without taking a dig at the likes of Priyam Garg, Vijay Shankar, and Abhishek Sharma. He added that SunRisers are incapable of winning with the middle-order they have currently. Garg made 12, Shankar departed for a first-ball duck while Abhishek got dismissed for 7.

“This team does not have a middle order. Nothing against Priyam Garg, Vijay Shankar or Abhishek Sharma, but this is a really really young team. This is not going to work out. If they want to win matches, they cannot do so with this middle-order,” he added.

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