Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper, Pat Cummins strongly feels that the T20 format has and will always favor the the batsman. The T20 format in the Indian Premier League (IPL) has transcended into a ‘whole new level’. The Australian sensation Pat Cummins shared his conviction following their 78-run loss against defending champion Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Sunday.
In this IPL season 2024, the 250-plus target milestone was not at all that hard to achieve, if compared to previous IPL seasons where most of the highest targets been given are no more than 170 to 190 mark. The 200-mark target is not safe anymore. The 250 mark was only penetrated for not more than two times in the history of IPL.
T20 is always on the batting side- Pat Cummins
“T20 is always on the batting side, and it has gone to a whole new level this season. The way we set up, we had the best chance if we got some really aggressive batters, and that’s the way to win the tournament,” said Cummins in the post-match press conference.
He further went on to say that, “Frankly, we don’t have much (bowling) options. It’s not Test Cricket, with the ball swinging around. There’s not much sideways movement, and there’s not much on the wicket either.
“So, a lot of times, the best way to get a wicket is to try and defend. Batters are getting better at hitting the ball out and even getting confident. It challenges you as a bowler. But, if you have a big total like 270-280, and if you can go at 9.00 as a bowler and make an impact, it could be match-winning.”
Pat Cummins accepted that they have a lot of work to do to improve their performances following their defeat to CSK.
“Hard to put a finger on it. Nothing really went (according to) to plan tonight. We’re pretty well-suited to chasing, but it hasn’t really come off yet. So yeah, it is something (we need) to work on,” Cummins considered.
“There was definitely dew there; haven’t seen so much at any other venue across the country. But, we failed to make the most out of it, and they bowled well as well. So, it (dew) didn’t really factor in this match as much as we would have liked.”
According to Cummins, the openers have been absolutely admirable. The middle order needs some work done.
“Whenever the openers have gone off (to score), it’s been match-winning and crazy. In a few chases, we felt that we set up really well.” as per his analysis “Different batters have stepped up throughout the tournament, and you need two or three guys to make an impact. But tonight, we never really got going, unfortunately.
“I am really happy about how the boys have been going about it. Even tonight, there were not too many reckless shots.”
Cummins reckons that the struggle faced by the bowlers was solely due to the wickets being withered.
“Haven’t really seen too much of a difference with the (new) white ball. It doesn’t have as much swing as before, maybe because the wickets are drier. It’s a tricky format, and I don’t think there’s a lot with the new ball,” he mentioned.