Former Australia allrounder and renowned coach Tom Moody and 2016 Indian Premier League champions Sunrisers Hyderabad have come to a mutual agreement not to extend their head coach’s contract ahead of the 2023 edition of the tournament.
Moody’s second stint with SRH as head coach is over, stated ESPNcricinfo in a report, with Brian Lara being the frontrunner to replace the Australian as the head of the coaching staff. Lara had been appointed SRH’s strategic advisor and batting coach for the 2022 season but could now be promoted to the head coach’s role.
Both parties have cut ties mutually after a disastrous campaign earlier this year, where they finished eighth in the ten-team competition with just six wins out of 14 games. From the beginning of Moody’s second stint at the start of 2021, SRH lost as many as 18 of their 28 matches in the league, leading to scrutiny over the work put in by the Australian with a side on the decline.
Moody had returned to SRH camp prior to IPL 2021 as a director of cricket when Trevor Bayliss was the appointed head coach. But with Bayliss leaving the scene following a dismal tournament in UAE and India, SRH decided to replace him with Moody at the helm of the support staff. It was the second time the ex-Aussie cricketer held the post in a stint that went in complete contrast to his first stint in terms of the on-field results.
He oversaw SRH’s most successful phase as a franchise from their inaugural IPL season in 2013 to the 2019 edition of the IPL, in which they clinched the title in 2016 and reached the playoffs as many as five times. From the beginning of the pandemic, though, SRH have struggled to assert their footing in what has been an increasingly demanding tournament, winning only 16 of their 42 matches, including 25 losses and a draw.
Despite undergoing an evident decline, SRH build-up towards the IPL 2022 with optimism, making interesting retentions ahead of the competition. They retained their captain and New Zealand batting great Kane Williamson and gave a nod of encouragement to uncapped Jammu & Kashmir talents Umran Malik and Abdul Samad. But SRH soon had the spotlight on them for failing to keep ace wristspinner Rashid Khan, who parted ways with the side and played for new franchise Gujarat Titans.
The think-tank fell under the scanner since Williamson, who was retained for INR 15 crores, one-sixth of the entire purse SRH had to recollect their squad, had a horrible campaign with the bat. Battling an elbow injury, the elegant right-hander could never pick up any flow with the bat and had a costly stint, making his 216 runs at a pedestrian strike-rate of 93.50.
Samad, who was SRH’s promising powerhitter down the ground, couldn’t hold onto his spot in the first XI after scoring just four runs in his two outings. Williamson & company couldn’t fit in the young allrounder, who would’ve been disappointed not to have gotten more opportunities to prove his mettle after being retained.
SRH’s only plus among the retentions was Malik, who came into their camp as a net bowler during IPL 2021 and was retained by the side for the sheer raw pace and hostility he brings to the table. Playing a couple of matches during the previous season, Malik built on his SRH association via a full-fledged campaign, playing a middle-overs enforcer.
Even though consistency and control remained an issue, and he went for 9.03 an over, Malik ended with 22 wickets from 14 matches and made his India debut a month later in Ireland.
