Our backs are against the wall no doubt about that: Brian Lara after SRH collapse against DC in IPL 2023

Chasing a tricky target of 145, Hyderabad opener Mayank Agarwal led the chase with 49 off 39 balls. They were still on course to win at 69-1 in the 12th over but then were squeezed by the Delhi spinners.

Hyderabad lost four wickets within 16 deliveries and the game turned on its head.

However, coach Brian Lara did not blame the surface and instead demanded a better performance from his batters.

“There were no devils in the pitch, and we could have been more proactive throughout the innings,” Lara said in the post-match press conference.

“We left everything too late. I prefer if my batters are a bit more enterprising and take advantage in PowerPlay. We allowed them to take wickets in the middle and cramp us,” he added.

“The first 15 overs were crucial and we should have been in a much better position,” observed Lara before adding, “With the fast bowlers coming back, we could get 12 or 13 per over but these guys – Ishant Sharma, Mukesh and Nortje are professionals and they put the balls in the right areas.”

“However, we should have chased down that total comfortably. Our bowlers did a good job and our batters needed to do a better job,” said Lara.

“But moving on, we have seven games left and need to regroup quickly. Our backs are against the wall, and there is no doubt about that and we need to take more responsibility moving forward,” he said.

Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals bowler Kuldeep Yadav was all praise for his teams bowling effort. “100 percent we believed in ourselves,” Yadav said emphatically after the game.

“We bowled well in the powerplay. Axar and I kept it tight in the middle and that helped us keep the pressure on them and we also never gave any easy boundaries. For us it is important to back ourselves and keep bowling in the right areas,” he concluded.