Sunrisers Hyderabad assistant coach James Franklin said bowling groups should have deep understanding of batters’ aggressive scoring methods in the IPL, leveraging his argument around Pat Cummins preying on Punjab Kings’ opener Priyansh Arya’s penchant for the pull shot.
SRH skipper Cummins bluffed Arya with a bouncer outside the off-stump, knowing the latter’s preference to play the pull instead of an upper cut.
Arya fell for the trap, pulling Cummins into the hands of Eshan Malinga at deep square leg.
“Obviously Pat Cummins and (head coach) Dan (Vettori) are very detailed and I think you have to be detailed nowadays because of how powerful batting units are, particularly top threes, top fours of all the IPL teams and particularly in the power plays,” Franklin said in the post-match press conference.
Cummins’ spell of two for 34 had a big role in SRH’s 33-run win over PBKS in their IPL match here on Wednesday (May 6, 2026) night.
Franklin said the SRH bowling unit’s pre-match feedback helped them devise plans for the marauding Punjab batters, who have been excellent in the chase so far in this IPL.
“I think sometimes you don’t necessarily have to bowl the ball that the field is expecting and I think we saw the ball before that he bowled a pretty good bounce on the same sort of line and he obviously called the bluff a little bit, executed the same sort of delivery and created the opportunity.
“So, you know, where the strengths and weaknesses are of the opposition batters, obviously all our bowlers are well across it. So, that was the feedback that our bowling group got and obviously we used it a lot throughout Punjab innings,” he added.
The former New Zealand all-rounder praised pacer Malinga for producing some fine spells, particularly at the death overs.
“I think he actually bowled pretty well for us at the back end of the competition and I think you roll forward another year he’s had that experience of playing an IPL before. He feels part of it now so he’s obviously come into this year’s IPL and got performances early and obviously that gives you confidence as a player.
“He’s able to have a level of consistency with how he’s been able to go about every game and execute. The different deliveries that he wants to bowl within the 24 balls that he gets in a game and he’s obviously creating opportunities and I think he’s up near the top of the purple cap,” he said.
With 16 wickets, the Sri Lankan pacer currently shares the second spot in the bowling chart with Gujarat Titans’ Kagiso Rabada.
Franklin expressed satisfaction over all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy’s consistent contributions with ball and bat.
“He’s confident, he’s playing really well with the bat, and then the bowling as well. He’s probably just nudged his pace up a little bit this season. He’s swinging the new ball when he’s getting that opportunity to bowl in the power play and again he’s creating opportunities.” Meanwhile, PBKS’ bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule said their poor catching led the team chasing an above-par target.
“Yes, I think it was very important to take those catches because catching could have changed the momentum of the game. There would have been fresh batters on the ground, on the pitch and we could have executed our plans more effectively and then ended up maybe giving 50 runs less.
“We definitely don’t want to be chasing 230, 240 regularly. I think when we have that opportunity to get the opposition who has a very strong batting order in about 180, maybe 170 max, and to lose out on that opportunity, what happens is then we shift the momentum towards them.” Bahutule lauded Cooper Connolly for hitting a hundred, and said his unbeaten 107 off 59 balls helped PBKS get near SRH’s 235 for 4.
The PBKS ended up with 202 for seven, courtesy Connolly’s innings and did not suffer a huge dip in net run rate.
“We knew at some stage it was a losing cause. But he just made sure that how we can get closer to the total because it also helps us in our net run rate. And that’s what he did beautifully. I think he’s learning, being in India, playing in the conditions.
“The way he has adapted as an overseas player has been fabulous. To come and really play in different venues, different pitches and perform so well. So I think he’s got a good future ahead of him,” he added.
Published – May 07, 2026 11:49 am IST
