SRH vs MI | Too many team changes did not work, says Manish Pandey as SRH end IPL 2021 campaign with just 3 wins
Manish Pandey's fifty went in vain as SRH lost their final league match by 42 runs
|| Courtesy- IPL
Reflecting on Sunrisers Hyderabad's (SRH) IPL 2021 journey which ended with just three wins from 14 matches, stand-in captain Manish Pandey said that too many changes in the side did not work to their favour. In their final league match, SRH fell 42 short, chasing 236 against of Mumbai Indians.
Blazing knocks from Ishan Kishan (84 off 32) and Suryakumar Yadav (82 off 40) helped MI end their IPL 14 campagn on a winning note, but couldn't help them with a playoffs qualification. The five-time champions needed a win of 171 or more runs to qualify for the next stage, but SRH batsmen denied them the opportunity on a batting-friendly surface in Abu Dhabi on Friday.
Manish Pandey, SRH's stand-in captain for the match, slammed unbeaten 69 off 41, as his side finished 42 short in a run-chase of 236. The 2016 champions sufferered their 11th defeat of the season to finish at the bottom of the 8-team points table. Pandey during the post-match presentation ceremony reflected on Orange Army's journey and reckoned that "a lot of changes in the side" did not help the team.
Notably, David Warner was sacked from captaincy and Manish Pandey himself was dropped on more than one occasion during the course of the 14 league matches.
"It was really hot, and it was an intense 20 overs. My calves are a bit cramped. I think the surface was the best of the tournament. We knew MI would come hard at us and they did. Our fast bowlers gave away a few extra runs that cost us in the end, but this was the best pitch of the tournament. We had a lot of changes in the side, that didn't work for us. We were struggling in the first few games too, and had to pull ourselves up in the second leg but the whole team didn't put in complete performances, despite some really good individual performances," Manish Pandey said after the match.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Delhi Capitals (DC), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have qualified for the playoff stage which will kick off from October 10 in Dubai.
