Sunrisers Hyderabad - The team that Never gave up !

Had you watched the climax of the movie "REAL STEEL" in which Hugh Jackman was portrayed as Charlie Kenton, you may remember this. During the last fight, Atom vs Zeus, the commentator, on seeing the ability of Atom, the robot's ability to get back on its feet repeatedly after being beaten black and blue would say this - "Kenton must've hardwired this robot with the will to go on". Now I quote this as a reference to the performance of Sunrisers Hyderabad this season. The last couple of games that the Sunrisers Hyderabad had played over the last week have made the fans sit up and notice in awe! The reason, not their humongous hitting but their breathtaking bowling and the nerves of steel that these men possess!

For the uninitiated, Sunrisers Hyderabad never really had a good start to their IPL campaign. Losing their Captain, Star Player and probably the Most Valuable Player of their line up - David Warner to the ugly ball tampering Sandpaper Saga. With the team players and support staff built around the expectations of Warner, the last minute hiccup gave Kane Williamson a chance to prove his mettle. So far so good, the kiwi has not backed down at any point in time.

Made to sit out for the major part of the previous seasons, thanks to his overseas player status, Kane has exceedingly filled up the big shoes of David Warner leading the Sunrisers side. His expertise with the bat too coming to the fore at the right time, the New Zealander has given his all to take his side over the line. The last three games, the big games against Chennai, Mumbai and Kings XI has taken his credentials in IPL to a whole new level, to say the least!

Incredible Bowling Unit

Sunrisers Hyderabad doesn't enjoy the stardom or the fan following that the teams like Chennai Super Kings or Mumbai Indians possess, yet they have proved they're no underdogs, providing stiff competition to teams ever since David Warner took over the reigns from Shikhar Dhawan in 2015 to go onto win the title in 2016. They do have some of the household names in the form of David Warner, Shikhar Dhawan and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar who have been a regular with the franchise since their launch.

But it is the bowling unit of SRH that has been their stand out the department in almost all the seasons. Spearheaded by Indian pacer Bhuvaneshwar, this bowling side has given batsmen some really horrendous time at the crease with their tight line and length, peppered with some excellent swing bowling as well. The younger sensations like Siddharth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma and Basil Thampi have stood up when it mattered the most, making up for the absence of their bowling leader Bhuvaneshwar.

Add to that the Afghan duo - Rashid Khan, Mohammed Nabi and the Bangla veteran Shakib-al-Hasan. Rashid Khan, after being hammered by the Universe Boss in their Mohali Encounter returning figures 1-55 in his quota of four overs seems to have found his way back. Shakib, the bowler who has this special ability to bowl the ball slower than its shadow has also contributed considerably. Though the Sunrisers bowlers have been exceptionally good so far, it is to be seen how long can they bail out their batters, just like they did against Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab!

The Will to not give up

Anybody who watched SRH's game against Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab would have thought that the total was too small for their batting might, only to wake up the next morning to see the Sunrisers victorious! Yet another day, yet another small total, yet another stellar defence. Such has been their confidence on the field as a fielding unit. Defending a total of 118 and 132 against such quality opposition in front of a packed stadium is no child's play. It takes sheer amount of confidence and the will to emerge victoriously. The bowlers have responded, the fielders have put their hands up and thrown themselves around the field doing their duty. Kane Williamson somehow seems to have found the trick of defending small totals.  They have displayed immense character and substance in their ultimate goal - to win the game!