Ambati Rayudu did not hold back after Sunrisers Hyderabad were beaten by Kolkata Knight Riders in an IPL 2026 clash on Sunday, calling SRH “complacent” and questioning the logic behind their batting-first call. The loss ended Hyderabad’s five-match run of wins on May 3, as KKR secured a convincing seven-wicket victory and kept their own playoff possibilities in play.
Quick facts
- Match: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kolkata Knight Riders (IPL 2026) on Sunday
- Date of the result: May 3
- Winning margin: KKR won by 7 wickets
- SRH innings: 165 all out in 19 overs
- KKR chase: Completed the target with 10 balls remaining
- Rayudu’s criticism: SRH were “complacent” and had poor planning, including the decision to bat first
- SRH points context: Missed a chance to go top; Punjab Kings also lost on Sunday
- SRH current standing: 3rd place with 12 points from 10 matches
- Next match: vs Punjab Kings on Wednesday, May 6
Rayudu’s main target was SRH’s mindset heading into the game. He argued that Hyderabad did not look like a side arriving on the back of five straight wins, suggesting their attitude felt too relaxed for a format where momentum can swing quickly.
He also took aim at captain Pat Cummins’s decision to bat first. In Rayudu’s view, SRH believed they would be able to handle KKR with ease, but the game unfolded differently, exposing what he felt was a lack of preparation.
Assessing the defeat, Rayudu said the franchise fell short because of “poor planning” and because it underestimated the challenge posed by KKR. He felt SRH’s approach did not match the conditions, particularly in an afternoon match in Hyderabad where the ball tends to grip and slow down as play progresses.
Why the innings unravelled
Rayudu noted that SRH were dismissed before using the full 20 overs, managing 165 in 19. With the innings shorter than ideal, he suggested the defending task became extremely demanding, even if the surface offered some assistance later on.
He added that SRH should have anticipated the match conditions, pointing out that many of their players have spent enough time in Hyderabad to know how the wicket behaves—especially after the early overs. Rayudu framed it as a key planning error from the start.
“They actually looked like a team after five wins because they have been complacent. Proper complacency because they thought they could get away with no planning or anything would work for them. Once you get on a roll, you feel like everything is going to work. And against a team that is struggling in the tournament, you fancy your chances. And I somehow don’t think they got their planning right,” Rayudu said.
He further explained the wicket dynamics: “In an afternoon game in Hyderabad, you know that the ball generally stops and comes. It’s not an easy wicket to bat on. Later on, it becomes better. They should have known that because most of these guys have been playing there for a couple of years or more. I think it’s bad planning to start off with.”
KKR, meanwhile, made their chase look straightforward once they got the job done with seven wickets in hand and 10 balls to spare. The numbers underlined how SRH’s inability to sustain their innings cost them dearly.
Missed chance in the table
Beyond the result, Rayudu’s comments came with a wider points-table sting. SRH missed a prime opportunity to climb to the top of the standings, as Punjab Kings also suffered defeat on Sunday against Gujarat Titans. Had Cummins’s team won, Hyderabad would have moved to first place in the IPL 2026 table.
At the time of the latest standings, SRH sit third with 12 points from 10 matches. Their next assignment is against Punjab Kings on Wednesday, May 6.
Vettori on losing wickets at key moments
SRH head coach Daniel Vettori also zeroed in on the timing of the dismissals after the team began strongly. He said Hyderabad failed to convert a promising start into a bigger total, and that crucial wickets left the side with a defendable but very difficult target of 160—referencing their final score of 165.
Vettori said, “I think we had got off to a great start and couldn’t capitalise on that. Lost some wickets at crucial times, and when you’re left with 160 [165], it’s incredibly difficult to defend even if the wicket was a little bit slow. I think we had enough fight in there after the powerplay to give us a small chance, but they managed to chase really well.”
He added that T20 contests become hard to control once momentum is disrupted, particularly when wickets fall at critical stages. Vettori highlighted the dismissals of Travis, Ishan, and Klaassen as pivotal to the collapse, arguing that if those setbacks hadn’t arrived, SRH might have carried more momentum through the chase.
“We just lost those wickets at crucial times, and I think in a T20 game, even if you have momentum and the opposition can stifle it, then it’s hard to regain it. And the wickets of Travis, Ishan and Klaassen were probably just at crucial times. If any of those hadn’t happened, we would have been able to continue on,” Vettori said.
