‘Probably our best bowling, fielding performance so far’ – Daniel Vettori heaps praise for SRH’s bowling display vs DC

Despite officially losing the IPL 2025 playoff race, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) head coach Daniel Vettori lavished praise on his team’s bowling effort. After the first innings of SRH’s match against the Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on May 5, the home team’s prospects of qualifying were dashed by persistent rain.

With little chance of finishing in the top four going into the game, the team needed to win to remain in the running. When the SRH bowlers reduced DC to just 133 for 7, it was one of their best efforts of the season. The game was abandoned, though, and both sides split a point apiece because rain and a wet outfield prevented play after the innings break. SRH can only now attain a maximum of 13 points after only seven points from 11 games.

Daniel Vettori talked candidly about the work his fielders and bowlers put in.

“We put on a really strong show, perhaps the best bowling and fielding display of the competition thus far. In training and meetings, we spend a lot of time discussing this topic. After the game was called off on Monday, Vettori stated, “It was a very good performance to come out there and start so well.”

The former captain of New Zealand emphasised the high standards for the team this season, particularly given their stellar start and their status as the previous edition’s finalists.

“It’s obviously disappointing. We entered this season with great expectations, but we simply haven’t been able to put together full performances and haven’t been consistent enough with our performances. We started a full performance today, so it’s disappointing that we couldn’t finish it, but that’s cricket,” he continued.

As he ran through DC’s top order with the new ball, captain Pat Cummins was the best bowler, finishing with figures of 3 for 19. Abishek Porel, Karun Nair, and Faf du Plessis were the three victims of the Australian pacer, as they all returned with single-digit scores.

“Pat is a fantastic new ball bowler, but he usually acts more like Mr. Fix-It for us since he can jump all over the middle, the death, and the power play. Giving him the fresh ball and going after them was a pleasant chance today, and he was outstanding tonight. His total performance has shown that he can be a wicket-taker, bowl in a variety of roles for us, and mix and match based on the team’s selection.

I believe he took the new ball for the first time today, taking the opening over, and you can see why he is such a strong bowler in test matches when given the chance. His ability to show up today, bowl so well, and lead the team so well is really satisfying. “I hope that continues into the final three games of the season,” Vettori said.