Having endured a bottom-place finish in 2023, winning the title in 2024 would have been the perfect redemption act for Sunrisers Hyderabad even as they faltered on the final step to finish second-best.

Irrespective of the final outcome, it was a season to remember for SRH. After all they managed to answer all critics with a redefined approach that was initially defined by their choice to go bold during the IPL 2024 auction, and later on the ground by their all-or-nothing brand of cricket.

In the lead-up to the season, there were questions raised over their choice of captaincy, given that Pat Cummins, despite his golden year as captain in Tests and ODIs, wasn’t a proven customer in leading a T20 franchise. But the Australian took up the challenge, and like his former teammate David Warner, he nearly got them to their second title after 2016.

Heading into the tournament, the Sunrisers were the early trendsetters with their ultra-aggressive batting approach soaring the IPL’s average par-score to 200, and also went on to eclipse Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s record of 263, with the highest ever IPL score of 287.

Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma formed an intimidating opening pair while Nitish Reddy was the find of the season for them. Add the middle-order blitzkriegs of Heinrich Klaasen and it’s not surprising that SRH destroyed bowling attacks more often than not, setting two all-time IPL record totals as well. For a side that took pride in posting mammoth totals, the SRH also enjoyed chasing totals by deflating opposition attacks. That’s exactly what they did when they decimated LSG in a crucial encounter, coasting past the target of 166 inside 10 overs without losing a wicket.

While his opening partner Head arrived with a reputation of being an explosive batter, fellow left-hander Abhishek Sharma made it count when he was asked to partner the Australian, and in fact went on to match him shot by shot in a few outings. Sharma ended the season, aggregating 484 runs in the season with a strike rate of 204, and what made him so special was the fact that he did not consume more than 30 balls in any of his innings this season, making him the first such batter in the history of T20 leagues to tally 400-plus runs in a tournament.

The Punjab southpaw also topped the six-hitting charts with 42 maximums but his ability with the ball was relatively under-utilised for most parts before Cummins unleashed him in Qualifier 2 on a spin-friendly track against Rajasthan Royals, where Abhishek returned with two big wickets of Sanju Samson and Shimron Hetmyer.

The Sunrisers also unearthed a new sensation in seam-bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was deservingly awarded the Emerging Player title for the 2024 IPL season. The 21-year-old Nitish scored 303 runs at an average of 33.67 and a strike rate of 142.92, playing a crucial role in propping up the SRH middle order. The right-handed batter’s best outing came against Rajasthan Royals, where he scored a 42-ball 76, studded with eight sixes. Nitish also picked up two wickets with his medium pace bowling to top up his contribution with the bat in the second IPL campaign.

Bowling concerns

The one area that the Sunrisers lacked this season was consistency from the bowling unit, that usually played a supporting act to their batting department. Barring the second qualifier against the Royals where the part-time left-arm orthodox duo of Abhishek Sharma and Shahbaz Ahmed spun them to victory on a sticky Chepauk wicket, the spin bowling department failed to impress. Not that the pace department was on the money throughout with the exception of left-armer T Natarajan, who made it a memorable season.

Ironically, it’s their primary weapon— batting — that let SRH down not once but twice in the playoffs, notably in the final. Despite the failure in the title clash, the Pat Cummins-led outfit can take pride from the fact that they pushed the boundaries of aggression, and repeatedly set the benchmark regardless of the risk involved, something that pleased the skipper.

“The style that the guys played, particularly with the bat, takes a lot of skill to not only get 250, (but) also (to do it) three times. You put yourself out there a fair bit. So I loved how brave the guys were in a high-pressure situation like the IPL. They took the game on, there was a lot of fun. (The) fans seemed to like it, back in Hyderabad. So, great season,” the Aussie quick said.