SRH need to invest in bowlers - Tom Moody
At IPL 2026, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) finished third, winning nine of their 14 league-stage matches. Gujarat Titans (GT) came in second, but only on net run rate. After SRH lost in the Eliminator, their fast bowling coach James Franklin said, "Overall we've had a really good season." However, Tom Moody, who was SRH's head coach when they won the title in 2016, believes that the team is all about its big batters and has been "left short with the finances to be able to build a strong bowling unit."
While Heinrich Klaasen (624 runs at 160.00), Ishan Kishan (602 at 182.42), and Abhishek Sharma (563 at 204.72) formed a formidable top order for the team, Nitish Kumar Reddy was an able fifth batter behind that top four. Travis Head was below his best this season, scoring 410 runs at a strike rate of 170.12.
However, with the bat, Eshan Malinga (20 wickets at an economy rate of 9.33) and Sakib Hussain (15 wickets at a rate of 9.45) were the main success stories. Praful Hinge and Shivang Kumar, on the other hand, showed promise but were still far from being finished products.
"It is a brand to admire but it comes at a cost," Moody said on ESPNcricinfo TimeOut after SRH were blown away by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Jofra Archer. "They're yet to lift the trophy with this brand. They are, in fact, giving themselves a chance. However, the cost also includes the money required to play 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 with the finances to be able to build a strong bowling unit to be able to support that."
With their acquisition of Pat Cummins in advance of the 2024 season for INR 20.50 crore, SRH set a new IPL auction record for an overseas player. Malinga, Gerald Coetzee, and Dilshan Madushanka are the other international options in their bowling unit, but they don't have any other really big names or spinners. This season, Purple Cap winner Harshal Patel only played five games, did not take a wicket, and finished at 10.82.
"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," Moody said. "So, I'm not against the brand, but when you talk about the salary cap and everything else, you have to try to balance it out."
Moody's assertion that "They can be brilliant like this" was shared by Ambati Rayudu. They are extremely pleasing to the eye. They're very exciting. But you still need to be powerful and smart to win an IPL. I think that can only improve if you get that kind of personnel and also get the balance and also be able to play in different conditions. One area in which they require improvement is that."
After the league stage, SRH had to play in the Eliminator because they couldn't finish first or second because they finished third. This meant that they didn't get two chances to win like the top two teams do.
"I don't think it [the season] went wrong," Franklin said at the press conference after the match. We have won nine of the fourteen round-robin games. Due to our net run rate, we came in third on the table. Overall, I believe we've had an excellent season. I don't think too much has gone wrong."
