When Sunrisers Hyderabad takes on Mumbai Indians in a must-win Indian Premier League fixture at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, it will be missing the services of its Aussie opener, David Warner.
After having a terrific season - amassing 692 runs in 12 matches - Warner has returned to Australia to join the national camp ahead of the World Cup.
But Sunrisers coach, Tom Moody, said that Warner’s departure has opened the doors for others.
“David has had a remarkable series. 692 runs in 12 games is something he should be very proud of. The bottom line from our point of view is that it creates an opportunity,” Moody said.
The coach also drew reference to last season when Warner did not feature in the tournament as he was suspended for being involved in the sand-paper gate.
“We were faced with the same situation last season. We did not have David Warner. We played the final. Okay, we did not win the final but we had a very good tournament and we ended up on top of the table. Good sides adapt and when opportunity (come), other people come into those positions and take those chances,” Moody said.
READ: IPL 2019: Hardik Pandya hits the ball a long way, says Kieron Pollard
“We saw Kane Williamson last season had a remarkable season himself, so we are going to miss David. But I look at the positive sides. What it does is, gives us an opportunity as a side to play (well) differently with different personnel,” the Australian coach added.
The Hyderabad head coach informed that a decision about who will replace Warner will be taken before the toss.
“We have got a few options. We are at the moment, looking at those options. Of course, (Martin) Guptill is the obvious one. Being a world class opener himself, he is a like-for-like replacement. But (we) also (have) the option to consider, looking at someone like a Billy Stanlake at a venue like this. We are trying around a few thoughts with regards to what the team is,” Moody said.
With 12 points from as many games, Sunrisers must beat Mumbai Indians to stay alive in the play-off race.
“For us, this game is no different from our first game of the tournament. It’s an important game like every game in this tournament is. We all know that this is a tough competition, so our approach is certainly no different. We are not putting ourselves under any additional pressure. That’s not gonna do us any good. We just need to make sure that we compete for 40 overs,” the coach said.
Aware that Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard could be the game-changers for Mumbai, Moody made it clear that the target would be to ‘get them out early’.
“There are a number of players playing in the tournament like Hardik. They are impact players. The bottom line is you need to remove them, you need to get them out because if they spend time in the middle, they are going to hurt you. We have our plans set for the likes of Hardik,” he said.
“Pollard is another one. At the back end of T20 cricket, (he) can cause havoc. Simple factor is to get him out and that’s going to be our approach,” the coach added.
Comments
SHARE