New Delhi, May 28 (IANS) Former Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach Tom Moody said the team’s batting‑heavy approach and their overall style of playing is ‘a brand to admire. Still, it comes at a cost, adding that the franchise must invest more in its bowling unit to achieve balance.

Moody’s comments come after SRH suffered a 47-run loss to Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 Eliminator clash. The side entered the playoffs as the third-best side on the points table. SRH relied heavily on their batters Heinrich Klaasen (624 runs), Ishan Kishan (602 runs), Abhishek Sharma (563 runs), and Travis Head (410 runs) to get big runs.

With the ball, Eshan Malinga (20 wickets) and Sakib Hussain (15 wickets) were the standout performers, while Praful Hinge and Shivang Kumar showed lots of promise. But Moody pointed to the lack of marquee names in the bowling line-up, aside from Pat Cummins, who was bought for INR 20.50 crore in 2024.

“It is a brand to admire, but it comes at a cost. They’re yet to lift the trophy with this brand. Yes, they’re giving themselves a window of opportunity. But the cost is also the fact that you need to invest in that brand.

“And that investment is lost when it comes to the bowling side. So you’re pouring a lot of money into the way you play as a batting unit. You’re left short of the finances to be able to build a strong bowling unit to be able to support that.

“It’s (about) trying to find that balance, and I think that’s what RCB (Royal Challengers Bengaluru) have got. They’ve got that balance right. So, I’m not against the brand, but you’ve got to try to balance it out when you’re talking about the salary cap and everything,” said Moody on ESPNCricinfo.

Former India batter Ambati Rayudu also echoed Moody’s concerns. “They can be brilliant like this. They’re very, very good on the eye. They’re very exciting (prospects). But still, to win an IPL, you need to be smart as well as be powerful. I think that can only improve if you get that kind of personnel, and also get the balance and be able to play in different conditions. That’s one area where they need to improve.”

–IANS

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