Sunil Gavaskar feels that Shikhar Dhawan’s absence is affecting SRH

At the end of the IPL Auction 2018, the Sunrisers Hyderabad looked the most balanced side. The orange army had a good mix of international and local players that provided them with the edge over other franchises. However, David Warner, the player who has shouldered the responsibility of taking the side forward for years was not allowed to play in the IPL. The coach and support staff believed that Warner’s absence will not affect the side due to the depth present in the squad.

SRH started in great fashion as they bagged three wins in a row. Teams were finding it difficult to get after their bowling attack. In their fourth match, a Gayle storm took over and a batting collapse handed them their first defeat. Adding to that, Shikhar Dhawan, who looked in good touch in the first few games suffered a blow to his elbow that ruled him out of the game against CSK also. It was evident that the team missed the Southpaw as the top order collapsed once again and the team lost three wickets in six overs.

SRH missing a flying start

Former Indian Cricketer Sunil Gavaskar believes that the absence of the star Indian opener is hurting the Sunrisers Hyderabad. The opener gets the team to flying starts and sets a platform for the other players to build upon. The absence of Warner had already put more pressure on Dhawan and Williamson as they were the senior players of the side and needed to contribute heavily. Skipper Kane Williamson was excellent against CSK but failed to take his team over the line.

SRH face the Mumbai Indians in their next encounter. The men in blue have taken all their games to the last over but failed to keep their head cool and deliver positive results. They are languishing at the bottom half of the table and need to turn around things quickly to have a chance of qualifying for the playoffs.

Dhawan is expected to be fit for the game against Mumbai Indians and this should provide the much-needed boost to SRH at the top of the order. Their bowling has taken a step back in the last two games but the presence of experienced campaigners like Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rashid Khan has the capability to bounce back quickly.

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