Former India and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter Ambati Rayudu minced no words as he tore into Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for being “complacent” in the Indian Premier League (IPL ) 2026 fixture against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Sunday. SRH’s five-match winning streak came to an end on May 3 after Ajinkya Rahane’s KKR registered a comprehensive seven-wicket win to keep their playoff hopes alive. Rayudu was quite critical of SRH captain Pat Cummins’s decision to bat first, saying the hosts thought that they would be able to get the better of KKR easily.
In his assessment of Hyderabad’s loss, Rayudu also stated that SRH did not look like a team that entered the contest against KKR on the back of five consecutive wins. The former Indian middle-order batter also said that the Hyderabad franchise lost due to poor planning and taking KKR’s challenge too easily.
The match against KKR saw SRH not bat the full 20 overs, as the side was bundled out for 165 in 19 overs, and the visitors chased the total down with 7 wickets in hand and 10 balls to spare.
“They actually looked like a team after five wins because they have been complacent. Proper complacency because they thought they could get away with no planning or anything would work for them. Once you get on a roll, you feel like everything is going to work. And against a team that is struggling in the tournament, you fancy your chances. And I somehow don’t think they got their planning right,” Rayudu said on ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut.
“In an afternoon game in Hyderabad, you know that the ball generally stops and comes. It’s not an easy wicket to bat on. Later on, it becomes better. They should have known that because most of these guys have been playing there for a couple of years or more. I think it’s bad planning to start off with,” he added.
Missed opportunity
SRH missed a golden chance to move to the top of the points table. Punjab Kings also lost on Sunday against the Gujarat Titans, and had Cummins’ side registered a win, the Orange Army would have moved to the top of the IPL 2026 standings.
SRH are currently in the third position in the IPL 2026 standings with 12 points from 10 matches, and the franchise will next take on the Punjab Kings on Wednesday, May 6.
Speaking about the loss against KKR, SRH head coach Daniel Vettori said that the side paid the price for losing wickets at crucial moments.
“I think we had got off to a great start and couldn’t capitalise on that. Lost some wickets at crucial times, and when you’re left with 160 [165], it’s incredibly difficult to defend even if the wicket was a little bit slow. I think we had enough fight in there after the powerplay to give us a small chance, but they managed to chase really well,” said Vettori.
“We just lost those wickets at crucial times, and I think in a T20 game, even if you have momentum and the opposition can stifle it, then it’s hard to regain it. And the wickets of Travis, Ishan and Klaassen were probably just at crucial times. If any of those hadn’t happened, we would have been able to continue on,” he added.