SRH head chef Pat Cummins now knows how to cook the finest Hyderabadi biryani

There is something about the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) this season. The side, that finished last in the previous edition of the IPL, seem to be brimming with the confidence to soar to the great heights that are destined for.

Led by new signing Pat Cummins, this SunRisers side seem ebullient about themselves and are at peace with the ways of this mad tournament, albeit at odds with what the world has set in place for them.

For the third time this season, they breached the 250-run mark while batting first, with their 266/7 against the Delhi Capitals (DC) on Saturday setting new records galore. When Abhishek Sharma got out just after the powerplay ended with the score at 131, the Eagles looked, in all seriousness, to become the first team to get to 300 in the history of IPL.

Earlier, they set the record for the highest total ever in the tournament when they battered the Mumbai Indians at Uppal. Against all expectations, they then bettered themselves by tarnishing the already-ruined reputation that the respectable Royal Challengers Bengaluru enjoy on the cricket field across Cubbon Park.

What annoyed their supporters until the previous season is what has fired the Eagles this time around. With no expectations on their orange-tarred shoulders, they are chasing a kind of freedom their opponents have failed to grasp.

Pat Cummins, the very same who lifted the World Cup on Indian soil on 19 November 2023, along with his compatriot Travis Head, who broke a billion Indian hearts the same night - have surprisingly become vital cogs in this wheel of the SunRisers.

What is unsurprising, however, is that most Hyderabadis have taken them both to heart and welcomed their arrival to the city of pearls with the finest biryani, Irani chai, and haleem that they could have found their hands on.

For all the bitterness that the end of November and early December wrought upon Indian cricket supporters, Hyderabad has at least found redemption by unleashing its pent-up productive energy upon unsuspecting opponents.

Cummins' influence on this side cannot be discounted by any means. Known to be among the finest man-managers the game has seen, the wily Aussie is often seen encouraging youngsters and egging them on. One can imagine what Cummins has infused into this side, with the carefree abandon with which all his players are playing and enjoying themselves on the field.

Youngsters Sharma, Abdul Samad, and Nitish Kumar Reddy have flourished under Cummins' leadership, while the more experienced Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klaasen have enjoyed a stability highly unknown in the franchise.

---

Cummins' influence has gone beyond the cricket field

The ever-smiling Cummins having a chat with T Natarajan. [IPL]

If this piece is understood by the reader to be a paean for Cummins, they have received their fair share of criticism when they deserved it.

However, the 30-year-old's antics both on and off the pitch have changed public opinion since then, to go with the way he has bowled and led his team to the third position of the league table at the time of writing.

One of the pioneers to have introduced the slower bouncer in this edition of the IPL, Pat Cummins has also enjoyed a near-golden run when it comes to restricting opponents from scoring freely. In the seven games that the Eagles have played so far, Cummins has conceded more than 40 runs in his spell on just one occasion -against RCB despite picking up three wickets.

What also makes for good reading is that the New South Welshman has not picked up a wicket only on one occasion. The incident came against Delhi, while he has lapped up nine dismissals in total this season.

If Cummins continues to fire with the ball in hand, both within the powerplay and outside, the SunRisers may have a more than decent chance of aiming for silverware this season.

His slower bouncers, as mentioned above, continue to fox opposition batters with their inability to rise beyond the waist and restrict their scoring options to mere jabs to the deep, which result in only singles or doubles.

To go with his encouraging demeanor that allows every player to prosper and play without the pressure of expectation, Cummins has every inch imbibed the laidback Hyderabadi spirit in himself.

The Eagles have established themselves in the IPL points table and become one of the biggest contenders for taking home the trophy this season. Cummins, however, knows that his task is only half-done.

It would have been semi-complete had the Haleem season still been on. Or, for those inclined otherwise, if the Eagles go on to win their second IPL title.