"Are they paper tigers?" - Aakash Chopra on SunRisers Hyderabad's IPL 2023 loss to Lucknow Super Giants

Aakash Chopra has highlighted that the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) have not lived up to their potential after they suffered a second consecutive big loss in IPL 2023 despite having a good squad.

SRH set a 122-target for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) after opting to bat first in Lucknow on Friday, April 7. KL Rahul and Co. chased down the target with five wickets and four overs to spare to move to the top of the IPL 2023 points table and consign the IPL 2016 champions to the bottom spot.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra observed that the SunRisers Hyderabad have not lived up to the pre-season hype surrounding their squad, saying:

"It was a low-scoring match and an extremely one-sided encounter in the end. Hyderabad have been handed their second defeat in as many games. The team was looking good on paper but are they paper tigers?"

The former Indian opener pointed out that the SRH batters struggled to force the pace on a slightly tricky surface, elaborating:

"The pitch was not worthy of a T20, let's be honest. Spinners dominated right from the start till the end. Hyderabad won the toss and opted to bat but they couldn't bat. They were trying to run but it was difficult to walk here. So how will you run?"

Chopra praised Abdul Samad for taking the SunRisers Hyderabad to a respectable score after their top order failed to fire, stating:

"Anmolpreet Singh stood there and gave a good start. After that, Rahul Tripathi batted for a long time. He never plays so slowly. Harry Brook was again left standing in the middle. Two innings, two leg-spinners - gone. The team reached 121 because Abdul Samad hit two sixes and scored 21 runs."

Rahul Tripathi (34 off 41) and Anmolpreet Singh (31 off 26) were SRH's top run-scorers. However, it was Abdul Samad's unbeaten 21 off 10 balls that gave them a chance to put some pressure on the Lucknow Super Giants batters.

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"The bowling order was slightly beyond my understanding" - Aakash Chopra on the SunRisers Hyderabad bowling

Adil Rashid was the most successful SunRisers Hyderabad bowler. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra was surprised by the SunRisers Hyderabad's tactics during their defense of a below-par score, saying:

"I thought we will see a lot of spin in the run chase, that Washington Sundar will come from one end, then Aiden Markram and Adil Rashid, but we didn't see spin at the start. The bowling order was slightly beyond my understanding."

The reputed commentator pointed out that Aiden Markram failed to use his spinners effectively, explaining:

"They started with Bhuvneshwar Kumar with the new ball and he conceded 11 runs in the first over. Washi did come from the other end but when Washi was also hit for 11, Fazalhaq Farooqi came. He picked up one wicket. Then you saw Markram also bowl one over. Adil Rashid came very late."

Adil Rashid was introduced into the attack only after the powerplay. Although he dismissed KL Rahul and Romario Shepherd off consecutive balls in his third over, the fate of the match was virtually sealed by then.