Former England captain Michael Vaughan has made a big prediction about the fate of SRH, claiming that Sunrisers will not be able to advance in the IPL playoffs this season.
Sunrisers Hyderabad is considered to have one of the strongest and most explosive batting units in the IPL. Sunrisers have Indian World Cup hero Ishan Kishan along with other strong players like Travis Head and Heinrich Klaasen. However, he is definitely missing his captain Pat Cummins on the field.
Sunrisers are currently being led by Ishan Kishan. However, under his leadership, they have started their IPL campaign with a defeat. Despite posting a total of 200+ on the board, they failed to start the competition with a win. The defending champions got off to a great start, making the 200-run target look like just a target.
Michael Vaughan claims, “Even if we had given them 230 runs, the match would have ended in 18 overs.”
Former England cricketer Michael Vaughan left no stone unturned in his scathing attack on Sunrisers Hyderabad after their defeat in the opening game against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
The England great admitted that he was a bit unlucky during his batting innings, especially during the controversial dismissal of Heinrich Klaasen, which was ruled in his favour. So he believed that they could have managed to score 30-35 more runs, but that would have meant more overs for the RCB batsmen and the result would still have been the same.
He said, “I would say they had a bit of bad luck with the bat. Maybe Klaasen’s wicket would have given them 20-25 runs less there. So let’s give them 230 runs; that would have meant the game would have been over in the 18th over. With that bowling side, they are not competing in this year’s IPL.”
Michael Vaughan underestimates the quality of Pat Cummins-led SRH bowling attack
After this, the English captain further said that with the inclusion of Pat Cummins in the bowling lineup, he does not see even the slightest possibility of a comeback in the SRH match. He also pointed out the lack of a frontline spinner in the SRH XI.
“Of course, Cummins will be included in that lineup, but I don’t see enough in terms of what he can bring or even enough with the spin to really do damage,” Vaughan said.
“On some occasions the batting lineup may see a score of 250, but with that bowling attack, they have to regulate it. These guys can be intimidating with the bat; they have to think about going beyond. So if the par is 180, they have to score 200 or 205. If they consistently go at or below par, I don’t think the bowlers will be able to get them out of trouble,” the English great said.
Vaughan denies SRH a chance to qualify for IPL playoffs
Michael Vaughan denied Sunrisers Hyderabad a chance to qualify for the IPL playoffs. Vaughan pointed out that they have a relatively weak bowling attack, and this will definitely not give them much of a chance in the competition.
“They’re not going to win the trophy,” claimed Michael Vaughan. Gaurav Kapoor, host of the show on Cricbuzz, further asked whether SRH have enough chances to qualify for the playoffs.
‘Don’t look #SRH Making the playoffs this season’
Watch @Michael Vaughan @joybhattcharj & @gauravkapur Discuss on Cricbuzz Live #RCBvSRH #IPL2026 @GoogleIndia pic.twitter.com/A6Ch4Dhswx
– Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) 29 March 2026
Vaughan casually said that he does not think they can even qualify for the IPL playoffs. SRH had also failed to progress into the playoffs last season, when they finished sixth on the points table.
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