IPL: SRH fielding coach Badani rues missed chances in close games

Badani also said that it has been a challenge bowling on Indian pitches and with small grounds

Hyderabad: Sunrisers Hyderabad are hoping to finish the home leg with a win when they take on Royal Challenges Bangalore, at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad on Thursday.

Though they are out of the playoffs race, Sunrisers fielding coach Hemang Badani said they want to win the matches and send a message to their followers. “We still want to win, pick as many points as possible, send a message to the followers that we are a good side despite not having the best season,” he said on the eve of their clash.

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He also rued that they failed to finish off close games that proved costly. “We have not conquered those fights in the middle, and couldn’t finish quite a few games. It was just a question of playing those moments. Or else we would have been much better on the points table,” he added.

When asked about the poor show despite having a decent team on paper, he explained, “Before the season many pundits also said that we had a much better batting line-up this time. But cricket is not played on paper. We have to accept where we missed out.”

He also defended under-fired Aiden Markram who came a cropper with the bat. “He is the right man to lead the team. We don’t necessarily feel that someone has to be outspoken. For instance, Dhoni is a quiet leader. And, if only we had one three more games, this question on Markram would not have cropped up,” he said.

Meanwhile, Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Michael Bracewell said that they want to win the crucial two points and stay in the race. “We are looking forward to putting up good performances to make it to the playoffs, concentrating on things which we can control, and handling the little bit of pressure of these must-win games,” he said.

He also said that it has been a challenge bowling on Indian pitches and with small grounds. “It has been a challenge playing here on Indian pitches, different styles of bowling, enjoying training here, understanding how different balls react to the surface, learning different things and the small grounds are a real challenge,” Bracewell said.