Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) captain Pat Cummins received a rousing welcome from fans ahead of their home game against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Thursday (May 2).
In a video shared by IPL's official handle on X (formerly Twitter), the spectators were seen screaming with joy as Cummins won the toss. The skipper was also quick to acknowledge the crowd for their unwavering support. The 30-year-old opted to bat first against the Royals. At the toss, Cummins said:
"We are gonna have a bat. The crowd is more excited about our batters than bowlers. The games we have won, we batted first. That's probably our strength. Looks like a good wicket."
Watch the video below:
For the unversed, World Cup-winning captain Cummins has turned around the fortunes of the Sunrisers this season. The Hyderabad-based franchise has won five out of nine games so far. They had finished 10th in the points table last year with just four wins in 14 matches.
Apart from wins, SRH have made 250+ scores thrice this season. They have also registered the highest totals in the tournament history with 287/3 and 277/3 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Mumbai Indians, respectively. In addition, Sunrisers also posted 266/7 against Delhi Capitals.
The Orange army, though, are coming on the back of consecutive losses against RCB and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), both while chasing. They will look to return to winning ways against table toppers RR.
Meanwhile, the Sanju Samson-led RR have lost just one in nine matches this season. They will look to continue their four-match winning streak and finish atop the points table to earn two chances for the IPL 2024 qualification.
"Travis Heads epitomises how we want to play" - Pat Cummins explains his success mantra at SRH in IPL 2024
Pat Cummins, in a recent interview, explained his team's mantra to success in IPL 2024. The all-rounder took the example of in form Travis Head to share that the players have been given the freedom to play their natural game. He recently told the Times of India.
"For us, it was about committing to a style - about how we wanted to play, a style we thought would give us the best chance of winning. And that has been to be really aggressive with the bat."
He continued
"Travis Heads epitomises how we want to play and that is to go and play with freedom. So, don't overthink it. Don't overcomplicate it. Just go out, play with freedom. That's pretty powerful. Plus, we have variety with the ball."
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