Dubai
With only two wins from 12 games -- and four points on the table -- this could possibly go down as the worst IPL performance for the Hyderabad franchise despite having the likes of batting stalwarts such as New Zealand's Williamson and Australian opener David Warner, who incidentally has not been included in the playing XI in the last couple of games here.
This is the first time SRH have failed to qualify for the IPL playoffs in five years and their problems from the first leg in India have returned to haunt them in the UAE as well. Williamson, who will be leading New Zealand at the ICC T20 World Cup later this month here, admitted that the side had not been able to iron out their shortcomings.
"We haven't been able to identify the right score all season. We need to go back to the drawing board and re-assess things. We could have built more partnerships. Unfortunately, we were 10-15 short of what would have been a competitive score," Williamson told Star Sports on Sunday.
SRH bowler Usman Malik -- a Covid replacement for T Natarajan -- bowled express pace on his IPL debut, with one of his deliveries clocking 151.03 kph on the radar, the fastest by an Indian in the IPL 2021. But despite that KKR emerged triumphant, winning by six wickets with two balls to spare in a low-scoring game.
"He (Malik) has been bowling really quick in the nets and it's really nice for him to get an opportunity today. Obviously, we're out of the competition, so it's a chance for some other boys to also get on the park," said Williamson.
KKR now take on Rajasthan Royals in their last league match on October 7, and while it's an inconsequential game for the already-eliminated SRH, the outcome will have a huge bearing on who makes it to the playoffs.
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