Hyderabad, India : Pat Cummins praised fast bowlers Eshan Malinga and Sakib Hussain after Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 55 runs in the Indian Premier League on Friday.
Hyderabad posted 255-4 thanks largely to Ishan Kishan‘s 79 off 46 balls before Hussain and Malinga claimed three wickets each to derail Bengaluru’s chase.
Malinga and Hussain have taken a combined 34 wickets this season, while Australia captain Cummins, who missed part of the campaign because of a lumbar bone stress injury, has collected eight wickets in seven matches.
“They’ve been fantastic. I’ve actually learned a lot from those guys as well,” Cummins said.
“Eshan Malinga has been the form bowler and he’s mixing up different things. And of course Sakib there as well. So a captain’s dream.”
Hyderabad coach Daniel Vettori said the bowling unit had played a major role in reviving the team’s season after a poor start.
“Those three fast bowlers have been exceptional,” Vettori said.
“We’ve had contributions from Harsh Dubey, Shivang Kumar, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Praful Hinge that have allowed us to come back from losing three of our first four games.
“To then win eight out of the next 12 is a real credit to them.”
Despite the defeat, Bengaluru finished top of the league standings and will face Gujarat Titans in the first playoff on Tuesday, while Hyderabad will play in the eliminator on Wednesday.
