Ahmedabad, May 13 (IANS) Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) head coach Daniel Vettori urged his players to quickly move on from their crushing 82-run defeat to the Gujarat Titans and focus on bringing fresh energy into their remaining IPL 2026 fixtures against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

SRH were bowled out for just 86 in 14.5 overs while chasing 168 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, as Kagiso Rabada and Jason Holder shared six wickets between them.

Addressing the team in the dressing room after the defeat, Vettori said the immediate priority was to leave the performance behind and focus on preparation for the remaining league games.

“I think we’ve got two challenges moving forward. The first challenge is to forget this game as quickly as we can because it actually holds no relevance for the next two fixtures that we have on surfaces that we’re very acclimated to,” Vettori said in a video released by SRH on X.

“So, this performance happened today, and obviously there’ll be some disappointment, but there’s not much we can take out of it that actually propels us forward to the next game,” he added.

The former New Zealand captain also highlighted the difficulty of maintaining intensity during the latter stages of a long tournament and admitted the team looked mentally and physically drained in the field.

“And at the back end of these very long tournaments, we’re not a roller coaster, but we’ve been on top a lot. We’ve had a couple of blips. It’s hard to actually push yourself,” Vettori observed.

“And I think today in the field, I saw a group that looked maybe a little tired, maybe a little bit off the ball, and whether that translated into our batting, who knows?” he said.

Vettori stressed that SRH’s preparation and energy levels before the upcoming clash against CSK would be crucial.

“The only thing that I want or the coaches want or Paddy wants is that when we hit training, you’re ready to go and you have an understanding of how you want to prepare,” he stated.

“Because I think that will be a difference maker for us going into that game against Chennai, and then if we get it going there, we can take it on to the game against RCB as well,” he added.

The SRH coach also encouraged players to take responsibility for their preparation and mindset ahead of the decisive matches.

“So the ball’s in everyone’s court now to relax, rest up, and then when we turn up together in Chennai, what sort of energy can you bring?” Vettori said.

“But still an exceptional team and this game passes us by very quickly, and we go to Chennai as a very confident group who can win two games in a row easily, which propels us to the finals, and then we’ll be in a good space,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, after this defeat, SRH have moved down to the third position in the points table with 14 points in 12 matches. They will next face in form CSK after a six day break before competing with defending champions RCB on May 22.

–IANS

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