'We wanted to be aggressive but...': SRH assistant coach on defeat against KKR

NEW DELHI: In an attempt to explain his team's dismal batting performance in the IPL final against Kolkata Knight Riders, assistant coach Simon Helmot of Sunrisers Hyderabad conceded that the plan to be aggressive fell flat pretty early in the match. "It was all down to a few good deliveries," Helmot stated.
SRH managed just 113 runs before being destroyed by eight wickets. On Sunday night in Chennai, KKR won their third IPL title after surpassing the target in just over ten overs.
"We were not going to change our brand or approach. We wanted to be aggressive but also smart and work the situations through," Helmot said in the post-match press conference.
"Our plan certainly wasn't to get bowled out for 113 in the 18th over. We played in a really positive way, but a few good deliveries (from KKR bowlers) early on put us on the back foot. Unfortunately, it was one of those days," he added.
The SRH top-order struggled to get going as they batted first, as three of their batters were bowled for single digits. Left-arm pacer Vaibhav Arora dismissed big-hitting opener Travis Head for his third duck in four games.
"Travis is experienced in playing left-arm pace. We have had games where both he and Abhishek (Sharma) have scored runs," the Australian said.
"Obviously, we couldn't get as much (support) from the middle order as we would have liked, but it was a fairly good ball to get rid of him (Head)," he added.
Helmot praised KKR's season-long performance, stating that the team, captained by Shreyas Iyer, played with an aggressive mindset.
"We have got to give credit to KKR. They have had a great season, winning 79 per cent of their games and playing an aggressive brand with the bat, ball and on the field. But, we will come (back) hard next season," he continued.
"They (KKR) are a very balanced unit with their four pace bowlers and two very accomplished spinners. They have been a terrific team with an excellent batting depth and are deserving victors in this IPL."
Andre Russell took three wickets for the KKR pacers on a fantastic day at work, while Mitchell Starc and Harshit Rana both finished with two wickets.
Rana, the team's second-highest wicket-taker after spinner Varun Chakravarthy, has been the talk of the season.
"He is a tricky competitor. He has some variations, especially with the quicker and full balls. He's got those slower ones as well," Helmot said in praise of Rana.
"He certainly has the ability to adapt. There is a rich battery of fast bowlers in India, and that's what the IPL often brings out, which is a good offer for the Indian team. Also, we will be looking for a lot of players like him."
When asked to pick positives in SRH's performance this season, Helmot credited pacers T Natarajan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar along with all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy.
"I think Nattu and Bhuvi had a terrific finish to the season, along with Nitish Reddy, who is also probably one of the best fielders in the competition.
"...it's no fluke that we managed to turn the tables from our (bottom-place) finish last year. We will use it as a catalyst coming into the season next year," he concluded.
(With PTI inputs)