IPL 2026: 'You can’t have everything': Daniel Vettori reacts after SRH miss top-two finish
Sunrisers Hyderabad secured third place in IPL 2026 playoffs with a dominant win, setting up an Eliminator. Coach Daniel Vettori praised the team's resilience after a shaky start, highlighting the strong top order and crucial contributions from the middle order and bowling attack. Despite missing a top-two spot on net run rate, Vettori expressed satisfaction with their nine wins.
Sunrisers Hyderabad finished on number 3 into the IPL 2026 playoffs with a commanding 55-run victory over Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Friday, setting up an Eliminator clash against the team that finishes fourth. Despite narrowly missing out on a top-two finish due to net run rate, SRH head coach Daniel Vettori expressed satisfaction with the team’s campaign and praised the squad for bouncing back strongly after a difficult start to the season. “We played really well.
You can't have everything. It was a magnificent game, I thought the guys were incredible. Season's not over yet, Top of the table, missed out a little bit on run rate, but nine wins is a fantastic tournament.
” Vettori said during the post-match press conference. While SRH’s explosive top-order has been one of the standout features of their season, Vettori admitted the franchise remains cautious about its relatively untested middle order heading into the high-pressure knockout stage. “We've got a middle order who probably hasn't batted that much during the season, so that's something that we always keep an eye on in the build-up towards these big matches.
But the team's been amazing,” he said. “That top four has been brilliant, and that triumvirate of Ishan, Pat and Shakib in the later half of the season has probably been the real difference for us,” Vettori added. The former New Zealand captain also explained that managing the fifth and sixth bowling options continues to be one of the team’s biggest tactical balancing acts.