‘We Were Poor With the Ball’: Daniel Vettori After SRH Faces Defeat Vs RCB; Virat Kohli Shines

Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach Daniel Vettori admitted his team fell short with the ball after a dominant run chase by Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their IPL opener at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

SRH posted a strong total of 201 for 9, but the target proved far from safe as RCB chased it down in just 15.4 overs. The chase was powered by a commanding partnership between Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal, who punished loose deliveries and kept the scoring rate high throughout the innings.

Vettori said his bowlers failed to maintain the discipline required after making an early breakthrough. SRH had removed Phil Salt early, but the pressure quickly disappeared as Kohli and Padikkal settled in and began attacking regularly.

According to the SRH coach, the bowling unit did not stick to its usual plans and allowed too many scoring opportunities during the crucial middle phase of the chase. He described the performance as one of the team's weaker efforts with the ball.

The former New Zealand captain also acknowledged that totals around 200 are no longer considered match-winning by default in modern T20 cricket. With powerful batting line-ups and favourable surfaces, teams are increasingly comfortable chasing big targets.

SRH's batting innings also had its challenges. Openers Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma were dismissed early, forcing the middle order to rebuild the innings. Contributions from players including Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen helped the team push past the 200-run mark on a batting-friendly surface.

Despite the defeat, Vettori said the team remains confident in the strength of its batting line-up. He highlighted the depth in the order and said SRH do not depend entirely on the opening pair to deliver in every match.

Reflecting on the bowling performance, Vettori pointed out that RCB's seamers, particularly Jacob Duffy, showed the type of lengths that worked well on the pitch. He admitted SRH bowlers were slow to adapt to those conditions.

The coach expressed hope that younger bowlers in the squad would learn quickly from the experience and improve in upcoming games as the tournament progresses.

Vettori also shared an update on England all-rounder Brydon Carse, who missed the match after being struck on his bowling hand during practice. Although scans ruled out a fracture, swelling prevented him from holding the ball properly. The team expects him to recover in time for the next match in Kolkata.