NEW DELHI: Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper
Pat Cummins
expressed on Friday that it was a gratifying experience to witness the team's remarkable turnaround and secure a spot in the IPL final after a disastrous 2023 season.
In 2023, SRH had finished at the bottom of the standings, but with Cummins brought in for a staggering Rs 20.50 crore, he orchestrated a sensational revival for the franchise.
This transformation culminated in a 36-run victory over Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2 on Friday, propelling the team to the final.
"The boys have been fantastic all season. There's a great vibe in the squad as you can see and the final was the goal at the start of the season and we made it," Cummins said at the post-match presentation.
"It is for the whole franchise, probably 60 or 70 of them who put their heart and soul into this. It is really gratifying and hopefully one more left."
Sent in to bat, SRH put up a total of 175 for nine, propelled by
Heinrich Klaasen
's brisk 50 off 34 deliveries, along with valuable knocks from Travis Head (34) and Rahul Tripathi (37).
The spin contingent then came to the fore, with Shahbaz Ahmed claiming 3 wickets for 23 runs and
Abhishek Sharma
chipping in with 2 wickets for 24 runs.
Their efforts restricted RR to a modest 139 for 7 in their allotted 20 overs. Additionally, Cummins (1/30) and T Natarajan (1/13) secured a wicket each to bolster SRH's bowling performance.
"We knew our strength was our batting and we wouldn't underestimate the experience we have in this squad, it's a dream having Bhuvi, Nattu and Unadkat, makes my job easy.
On Abhishek's bowling, Cummins said: "That was a surprise, tried to stick one out of him with a couple of right-handers and he bowled beautifully and those two won it with their bowling in the middle overs.
"170 was a tough chase and had we got a couple of wickets we knew we had a chance."
Rajasthan captain Sanju Samson rued that his batters couldn't find a way to tackle the spinners.
"It was a big game. I am really proud of the way we bowled in the first innings. We were found short of options in the middle overs against their spin, that's where we lost the game," he said.
"It's very hard to guess actually when we are expecting some dew or when we are not. The wicket started behaving differently in the second innings, the ball started turning a bit, they used that advantage really well.
"They bowled their spin in the middle overs against our right-handed batsmen, that's where they were one-up against us."
Samson said the batters could have tried something different to upset the spinners.
"Against their left-arm spin, when the ball was stopping, we could have tried a bit more reverse-sweep or maybe use the crease a bit more. They also bowled really well."
On Sandeep Sharma, who bowled beautifully on the slow track in the middle overs, Samson said: "I am really happy for him. From not being picked in the auctions and coming back as a replacement, the way he bowled, he has definitely delivered.
"If we look at the numbers, Sandeep Sharma in the last two years, he will be the next guy after Bumrah. He has done a great job."
He also lavished praise on the young players of his side.
"We have had some brilliant games not only this season but from the last three years, it has been a great project for our franchise. We have found some really great talent for the country.
"Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel and a lot of them are looking really exciting not only for RR but definitely for the Indian cricket team. We have had some great seasons from the last three years."
(With PTI inputs)
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