2 min readUpdated: Mar 29, 2026 11:42 AM IST
Former India opener Krishnamachari Srikkanth slammed SunRisers Hyderabad’s bowling attack after their stinging defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2026 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday, referring to them as a “terrible” line-up.
Missing the services of their regular skipper, Pat Cummins, SRH failed to defend a 201-run total as Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal powered RCB to a breezy win. The hosts gunned down the target with 26 balls to spare, making it the fastest 200-plus chase in IPL history.
“If you play with Harshal Patel and Unadkat as your main bowlers, only god can save them. How long can they continue to manage with this fake bowling? Eventually, you need some good bowlers. It’s not just a judgment based on one match. And yet they keep hyping about scoring 300 with the bat. Their bowling can’t go on with these kinds of bowlers. They’ll need 400 with this bowling,” said Srikkanth on his YouTube channel.
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Harshal and Sri Lankan pacer Eshan Malinga were the most expensive of the bowling group, conceding 74 runs between them in 4.4 overs without a single dismissal.
“SRH bowling is seriously terrible. They are opening with Nitish Kumar Reddy. I can’t even understand the logic behind that. Payne just took a fluke two wickets. Malinga got smashed. How long can they do with this kind of bowling lineup? Even if Cummins comes back, this bowling looks too weak. The speeds of these bowlers are also so low. Playing guys like Payne, they have no scope,” added Srikkanth.
The former India captain was effusive in his praise for RCB batter Devdutt Padikkal’s quickfire 61 that set up the chase for the home side.
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“It was an extraordinary knock. This proves again that if you do well in domestic cricket and return to the basics, you’ll do well at higher levels. By going back to the basics, you correct yourself and come back. He played effortless shots. He finished off the SRH bowling,” said Srikkanth.
