According to SRH head coach Brian Lara, the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) management made the decision to remove Umran Malik from the playing XI against the Gujarat Titans (GT). The Indian Premier League (IPL) match between SRH and GT took place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on May 15, 2023. The team captained by Aiden Markram lost by 34 runs, effectively ending their prospects of making the IPL 2023 playoffs. SRH faced the reigning champions without the Jammu and Kashmir speedster.
Notably, he has not played for the 2016 champions since their April 29 match against the Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Despite the fact that a number of experts have questioned the decision to suspend Malik, the West Indies legend has defended the move. Brian Lara stated in the post-match press conference that Malik’s lack of form was the reason he was left out of the starting lineup against GT. He also mentioned that the team has high hopes for Umran. He did concede, however, that the team must ultimately win every game and that their lineup selection is based exclusively on the performance of each player.
“You need only observe the form of the player. We have high hopes for Umran, who has Dale Steyn at his disposal. However, we must play each game to win. We must field our finest eleven players on the field. And now, with Impact Player, our top 12 players. Before selecting the squad, we strictly consider a player’s form, as Lara explained.
Umran Malik, who placed fourth in the IPL Purple Cap contest in the previous season, has played seven games in the IPL 2023 and taken five wickets at an average of 35.20 and an economy rate of 10.
I do not observe any flaws in the selection. Brian Lara
Lara then mentioned another exceptional young pacer, Kartik Tyagi, who had only appeared in one game this season. The 54-year-old stated that he sees nothing wrong with the team’s decisions and that the team is not playing the game they should be playing.
“We have 25 players, and I would have preferred you to ask about Tyagi, who is also a special talent but has had only one opportunity so far. Regarding the selection, I do not see any flaws. Every time the team steps onto the field, I feel as though we are not playing the game that we should be.”