Batting legend and Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach Brian Lara on Saturday said the team has not performed as per expectations for a few years now and his name would not have "miraculously" brought success to the IPL franchise this year.
The 2016 IPL winners SRH have indeed suffered, having lost their fulcrum of batting in David Warner and Kane Williamson, finishing eighth in a 10-team competition last year after ending at eighth and last spot in 2021.
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SRH face Mumbai Indians in their last league match of this IPL on Sunday and may finish at 10th and last again after enduring yet another horrendous season.
“It is not too demanding. You are going to have a team that wins the IPL, a team that runs in the bottom and a team in the middle. But it is a process that you have to take and SRH for the last few years have not been playing up to the expectations," Lara said in the pre-match press conference.
"I do not think my name was going to miraculously bring success, a job has to be done professionally, big name or no big name. As I said, (it is my) first time in this position, it has been a wonderful learning experience for me and something that I will take away moving forward,” he added.
Lara backed SRH’s South African captain Aiden Markram, adding that the franchise will have a review after the end of the season to look at areas of concern.
“We were both newcomers, the captain and the coach. But in terms of leadership, on and off the field, I felt we as a unit were learning as we go along. It is not something that comes easily,” he said.
“I think Aiden did a tremendous job and we will do some sort of review and reflection to see how we can work things out for the betterment next year. But it is always going to be difficult coming into an environment and trying to lead. If I can speak for myself, I will definitely learn from this experience,” said the former West Indies captain.
Lara said despite a poor campaign, SRH would look to spoil the party for Mumbai Indians on Sunday.
“Everybody has got to bring something to the table. We have tried as much as possible to do that and obviously the results show it is a team that had a really poor year. But you got to take out the positive, see how we can use the next six to eight months to get better, get back in shape and get a team ready for a season,” he said.
“We are here to upset the party for Mumbai, we want to win and it will be great to at least end in that fashion. But it's going to take a lot of effort and professionalism in putting a team together moving forward. But to get the right attitude and get everyone pulling in the right direction is very important.”