India’s fastest bower Umran Malik’s absence from Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Playing XI has baffled many, with fans wondering what’s gone wrong for the pacer from Jammu & Kashmir.
And now, SRH head coach Brian Lara has revealed why the speedster has been missing from SRH's Playing XI since their game against the Delhi Capitals on April 29.
Explaining the logic behind Umran's omission, Lara stated that the tearaway pacer has been out of form in IPL 2023.
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"We have great expectations of Umran, and he has got Dale Steyn to work with. But we have to play each game to win. We have to put our best eleven out on the field. And now, with the Impact Player, our best 12. It's strictly on the fact that it's about the form of the player that we look at before picking the team," Lara said.
Umran gained fame by clocking 150 kmph-plus speed on several occasions last year, his breakthrough season which saw him being picked for the national team as well.
However, the 23-year-old hit a rough patch in IPL 2023, and could only snaffle 5 wickets in 7 games at an economy rate in excess of 10.