The Indian Premier League tournament was a continuous cycle of travel, rest, and play. The teams lived out of their suitcases. They woke up in one city, played a cricket match at night, returned to the hotel, and boarded a bus the next morning for the airport.
The Sunrisers Hyderabad squad handled the routine well. They had won their first three matches. The dressing room was a calm place.
Their fourth match of the season was against the Kolkata Knight Riders. The team flew into Kolkata, checked into their hotel, and took the team bus to Eden Gardens. The air in Kolkata was very hot and completely still. Sweat soaked through their practice shirts during the warm-ups.
Siddanth Deva walked out for the toss. He lost the toss. Kolkata decided to bowl first.
Sunrisers Hyderabad batted. David Warner started fast. He hit the fast bowlers to the boundary ropes. Shikhar Dhawan supported him. But Kolkata brought on their spinners. Dhawan hit a ball straight to the square leg fielder and got out for 20 runs. Kane Williamson missed a sweep shot and was given out LBW for 15 runs. Sanju Samson stepped out of his crease and got stumped.
Sunrisers Hyderabad were 95 for 3 in the tenth over.
Siddanth picked up his bat and walked out from the dugout. He took his guard. Kuldeep Yadav was bowling.
10.4 Kuldeep bowled a ball on the off-stump. Siddanth stepped forward and drove it straight to the cover fielder. No run.
10.5 Kuldeep bowled a googly. Siddanth defended it off the back foot. No run.
10.6 Kuldeep bowled slightly short. Siddanth cut the ball past the point fielder for four runs.
11.2 Umesh Yadav bowled a full delivery to Siddanth. Siddanth pushed it to mid-off for a single.
11.4 Umesh bowled a bouncer. Siddanth ducked under it. No run.
11.5 Umesh bowled on the pads. Siddanth flicked it to deep square leg for a single.
12.1 Sunil Narine bowled to Siddanth. Siddanth defended the flat delivery. No run.
12.2 Narine bowled wider. Siddanth pushed it to point for a single.
13.4 Narine bowled again. Siddanth stepped out of his crease and hit the ball straight over long-on for a six.
13.5 Narine bowled flatter. Siddanth cut it for a single.
14.1 Kuldeep Yadav bowled. Siddanth hit it down the ground for a single.
14.3 Kuldeep bowled a full toss. Siddanth drove it to long-off for a single.
15.1 Chris Woakes bowled a slower ball. Siddanth waited for it and hit it over the mid-wicket boundary for a six.
15.2 Woakes bowled a fast yorker. Siddanth dug it out for a single.
15.5 Woakes bowled on the pads. Siddanth flicked the ball to fine leg for four runs.
16.2 Umesh Yadav bowled. Siddanth hit it to cover for a single.
16.4 Umesh bowled a short ball. Siddanth pulled it for a single.
17.1 Woakes bowled a full delivery. Siddanth drove it past the bowler for a single.
18.1 Kuldeep Yadav bowled. Siddanth hit a six over extra cover.
18.2 Kuldeep bowled wide. Siddanth cut it for four runs.
18.3 Kuldeep bowled full. Siddanth drove it to long-off for a single. He reached his fifty.
19.4 Umesh Yadav bowled a low full toss. Siddanth hit it for four runs.
19.5 Umesh bowled a bouncer. Siddanth pulled it for a single.
Siddanth finished on 55 not out from 24 balls. David Warner finished on 85 not out. Sunrisers Hyderabad posted 198 for 3.
The innings break passed. Kolkata Knight Riders came out to bat.
Siddanth took his position at mid-off. He decided to bowl his full four overs today. He wanted to use the dry pitch.
Siddanth bowled his first over in the powerplay. He gave away four singles and bowled two dot balls. He brought himself back in the middle overs.
He managed his field placements quietly. When Robin Uthappa was batting, Siddanth moved the fine leg fielder back to the boundary and brought the point fielder inside the circle.
9.3 Siddanth bowled a slow off-cutter. Uthappa tried to flick it to the leg side, completely missed the ball, and was hit on the pads. The umpire raised his finger for LBW.
Siddanth continued his spell. In his final over, he bowled Manish Pandey. Pandey tried to hit a fast yorker and missed. The ball hit the middle stump.
Siddanth finished his four overs. He gave away 16 runs and took 2 wickets. The rest of the Hyderabad bowlers finished the game. Kolkata was bowled out for 140 runs. Sunrisers Hyderabad won the match by 58 runs.
The team returned to the hotel, packed their bags the next morning, and flew back to Hyderabad.
Their fifth match was against the Delhi Daredevils at home. Siddanth won the toss and batted first.
The Sunrisers top order destroyed the Delhi bowlers. David Warner scored 70 runs. Shikhar Dhawan scored 60 runs. Kane Williamson scored 40 runs. Siddanth sat in the dugout the entire innings. He did not get a chance to bat. Sunrisers finished at 205 for 2.
Delhi Daredevils chased. Rishabh Pant and Marlon Samuels opened for Delhi and hit boundaries quickly.
Siddanth stood at mid-off. He did not bowl. He controlled the game through his other bowlers. He walked over to Mohammed Siraj. He pointed to the deep square leg boundary. Siraj nodded. Siraj bowled a bouncer. Pant tried to pull it and got caught exactly where Siddanth had placed the fielder.
Siddanth walked over to Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He told him to bowl full and wide outside the off-stump to Samuels. Samuels reached for the wide ball, edged it, and was caught behind by the wicketkeeper.
Delhi lost their momentum. Sunrisers bowled them out for 140 runs.
The tournament continued. Sunrisers Hyderabad went on a long winning streak.
Their sixth match was against Rising Pune Supergiant. The Sunrisers top order chased down the target in fifteen overs. Siddanth did not bat. In the field, Siddanth moved his fielders constantly. Rashid Khan took three wickets. Pune was bowled out for 130 runs.
Their seventh match was an away game against the Gujarat Lions in Rajkot. Siddanth stood at mid-off and directed Bhuvneshwar Kumar to swing the ball into the right-handed batsmen. Bhuvneshwar took early wickets. Gujarat Lions were bowled out for 125 runs.
Their eighth match was at home against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers tried to build a partnership. Siddanth told Siraj to bowl back-of-a-length deliveries on the body. Siraj took both wickets. RCB was bowled out for 145 runs.
Their ninth match was against the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium. Trent Boult swung the new ball. Siddanth changed the slip cordon after every over, confusing the batsmen. Mumbai Indians were bowled out for 135 runs.
Their tenth match was against the Kolkata Knight Riders in Hyderabad. Yuzvendra Chahal bowled flat leg-spin. Siddanth moved the point fielder backward by a few steps. The batsman cut the ball straight into the fielder's hands. Kolkata was bowled out for 140 runs.
That made five matches in a row where the Sunrisers Hyderabad bowling attack bowled out the opposition completely.
Siddanth Deva was having a very quiet season personally. The team was playing so well that he didn't need to do anything. The top four batsmen finished almost every game. Siddanth sat in the dugout for most of the tournament. The bowling unit was ruthless. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, and Mohammed Siraj held the top three spots for the Purple Cap. Siddanth did not bowl much. He just orchestrated the field placements.
Their eleventh match of the season was against Kings XI Punjab in Mohali.
The team flew into Chandigarh airport, took the bus to their hotel, and rested. The next evening, they arrived at the stadium.
Siddanth won the toss and batted first.
The pitch was very good for batting, but the top order failed. Sandeep Sharma swung the new ball. David Warner got out for 25 runs. Shikhar Dhawan got out for 15 runs. Kane Williamson and Sanju Samson both got out in the twelfth over.
Sunrisers Hyderabad were 100 for 4.
Siddanth Deva walked out to bat. He finally had a chance to bat for a long period. He took his guard. Sandeep Sharma was bowling.
12.4 Sandeep bowled a length ball. Siddanth defended it. No run.
12.5 Sandeep bowled an out-swinger. Siddanth left it alone. No run.
12.6 Sandeep bowled on the pads. Siddanth flicked it for a single.
13.2 Axar Patel bowled a flat delivery. Siddanth stepped out and hit the ball down the ground for four runs.
13.3 Axar bowled wider. Siddanth pushed it for a single.
13.6 Siddanth was back on strike. He cut the ball past point for four runs.
17.1 Mohit Sharma bowled. Siddanth hit it to deep cover for a single.
17.2 Mohit bowled a slower bouncer. Siddanth pulled it to fine leg for a single.
17.3 Siddanth was back on strike. He defended a yorker. No run.
18.1 Marcus Stoinis bowled a length ball. Siddanth hit a six over mid-wicket.
18.4 Stoinis bowled a wide ball. Siddanth cut it for a single.
19.1 Sandeep Sharma bowled. Siddanth hit it down the ground for a single.
19.2 Siddanth was on strike. He tried to hit a big shot over deep mid-wicket. He did not time the ball well. It went high in the air. The fielder ran forward and caught it safely.
Siddanth was out. He batted for 21 balls. He scored 65 runs. Sunrisers Hyderabad finished their innings at 185 for 6.
Kings XI Punjab came out to bat. Hashim Amla and Martin Guptill started fast. They hit boundaries off Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Trent Boult in the powerplay.
Siddanth took his cap off and brought himself into the attack.
5.1 Siddanth bowled a fast length ball. Amla defended it.
5.2 Siddanth bowled slightly wider. Amla pushed it for a single.
5.3 Siddanth bowled to Guptill. Guptill hit a hard cover drive. Siddanth stuck his hand out and stopped it in his follow-through. No run.
5.4 Siddanth bowled a bouncer. Guptill ducked. No run.
5.5 Siddanth bowled a fast yorker. Guptill jammed his bat down. No run.
5.6 Siddanth bowled a slower ball. Guptill swung his bat early. The ball popped up in the air, and Siddanth caught it easily himself.
Guptill walked off. Siddanth had given away just 1 run and taken a wicket in his first over.
Siddanth bowled his second over in the eighth over. He bowled length balls and wide yorkers to Glenn Maxwell and Amla. He gave away 6 runs.
He bowled his third over in the twelfth over. He gave away 5 runs, keeping the batsmen quiet with slow off-cutters.
He bowled his final over in the eighteenth over. Punjab needed 40 runs from 3 overs.
18.1 Siddanth bowled a wide yorker. Maxwell missed it. No run.
18.2 Siddanth bowled another wide yorker. Maxwell squeezed it out for a single.
18.3 Siddanth bowled to David Miller. Miller hit a boundary straight down the ground.
18.4 Siddanth bowled a fast bouncer. Miller missed it. No run.
18.5 Siddanth bowled a length ball. Miller took a single.
18.6 Siddanth bowled to Maxwell. Maxwell tried a reverse sweep, missed, and got hit on the pad. The umpire shook his head. Not out.
Siddanth finished his spell. 4 overs, 18 runs, 1 wicket.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled the final over perfectly. Sunrisers Hyderabad won the match by 15 runs.
The team traveled to Bangalore the next morning for their twelfth match against the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
They arrived at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. The sky was dark grey. Heavy clouds covered the city.
The players got off the bus and walked into the away dressing room. They placed their bags in their lockers. Before they could walk out for the toss, heavy rain started falling. The ground staff rushed out and covered the entire pitch and the square with large white tarpaulins.
The players sat in the dressing room. They could not go out to warm up.
Siddanth sat on a chair, drinking hot tea. David Warner and Kane Williamson sat at a table, playing a card game. Sanju Samson and Mohammed Siraj sat on the floor, listening to music on their phones.
They waited. One hour passed. The rain continued. Two hours passed. Puddles of water formed on the green grass outside. Three hours passed. The umpires walked out with large umbrellas to inspect the ground. They walked back inside.
The match referee walked into the Sunrisers dressing room.
"The match is called off," the referee stated. "The outfield is too wet. Both teams receive one point."
Siddanth nodded.
The players packed their bags. David Warner looked at his phone.
"We have twenty-three points on the table," Warner said.
Siddanth finished his tea. "We qualified for Qualifier 1," he told the room.
The players clapped. They boarded the bus in the rain and returned to their hotel.
There were two group stage matches left. One against the Delhi Daredevils in Raipur. The final one against the Gujarat Lions in Kanpur.
The next morning, Siddanth called a team meeting in the hotel conference room. The players took their seats.
"We have secured the top spot," Siddanth said. "The next two group games do not change our position on the table."
He looked at the senior players.
"I am resting the main squad," Siddanth stated. "Shikhar, Kane, Sanju, Rashid, Siraj, and Trent. You are resting for the next two games."
He turned to the players sitting in the back rows.
"Deepak Hooda, Bipul Sharma, Naman Ojha, Siddarth Kaul, and Arjun Tendulkar," Siddanth called out. "You are playing the next two matches."
"What about me, Skip?" David Warner asked.
"You are playing," Siddanth said. "You have the Orange Cap. Open the batting with Hooda and score runs."
He looked at Bhuvneshwar Kumar. "Bhuvi, you are playing. You lead the Purple Cap race. Keep taking wickets."
"I will bat at number eight. I am not going to bowl. The reserves will handle the game."
The meeting ended. The players stood up.
"Arjun," Siddanth called out.
Arjun Tendulkar stopped at the door. He walked back. He was a tall fast-medium bowler. He had been signed by the team last year. Siddanth had mentored him, correcting his grip and his run-up in the practice nets.
"You are opening the bowling with Bhuvi tomorrow," Siddanth told him.
Arjun nodded slowly.
"Do not try to bowl too fast," Siddanth instructed. "Just hit the good length outside the off-stump. Let the ball swing. Do not try to bowl yorkers in the first over."
"Yes, Captain," Arjun said.
The team traveled to Raipur for their thirteenth match against the Delhi Daredevils.
Siddanth won the toss and batted first. He let David Warner open the batting with Deepak Hooda. Warner played a very aggressive innings. He scored 90 runs off 50 balls. The reserve batsmen played their parts. Siddanth sat in the dugout. He did not bat. Sunrisers posted 180 runs.
Delhi Daredevils came out to chase.
Siddanth threw the new ball to Arjun Tendulkar.
Arjun marked his run-up. Siddanth stood at mid-off.
Arjun ran in and bowled his first ball in the IPL. He followed the instructions. He hit a good length, and the ball swung away. He bowled a very quiet first over.
In his second over, Arjun bowled a full out-swinger to Shreyas Iyer. Iyer tried to drive the ball, got a thick outside edge, and Naman Ojha caught it behind the stumps.
Arjun threw his arms up. His first wicket. Siddanth gave him a high five.
Arjun bowled his full four overs. He took another wicket in his final over, getting Corey Anderson caught at cover. He finished with 2 wickets for 28 runs.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled well in the middle overs, taking 3 wickets. Delhi Daredevils were bowled out for 160 runs. Sunrisers Hyderabad won the match by 20 runs.
The fourteenth and final group stage match was against the Gujarat Lions in Kanpur.
Siddanth played the same reserve team.
This time, Gujarat Lions batted first. Brendon McCullum and Jason Roy attacked the reserve bowlers. Siddarth Kaul and Ben Cutting gave away many runs. Siddanth stood at mid-off. He did not bowl. He let the reserve bowlers handle the pressure.
Arjun Tendulkar bowled well again. He bowled his four overs. He took 2 wickets in the middle overs by bowling short deliveries.
Gujarat Lions finished strong. They posted a total of 190 runs.
Sunrisers Hyderabad came out to chase.
David Warner got out in the first over. He was caught at slip for 10 runs. Deepak Hooda and Naman Ojha batted, but they lost wickets to the Gujarat spinners. The required run rate climbed to fifteen runs per over.
Sunrisers Hyderabad were 120 for 6 in the sixteenth over.
Siddanth picked up his bat and walked out. He batted at number eight. The required run rate was very high. He took his guard.
He batted for 21 balls. He scored 40 runs.
The other batsmen could not score enough runs. Sunrisers Hyderabad lost the match. They fell short by 25 runs.
It was their first and only loss of the group stage.
The players walked off the field. The Gujarat Lions celebrated.
In the SRH dressing room, the reserve players sat quietly. Arjun Tendulkar sat on the bench.
Siddanth walked into the room. He unstrapped his pads.
"Keep your heads up," Siddanth told the team. "We lost a game. The result does not matter today."
He looked at Arjun and Kaul.
"You bowled under pressure," Siddanth said to them. "You got hit for runs. Now you know what to work on. The main squad is rested. We got exactly what we wanted out of these two games."
The group stage of the 2017 Indian Premier League ended.
Sunrisers Hyderabad finished at the very top of the points table. They played 14 matches. They had 12 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss. They finished with 25 points.
They packed their bags and boarded the team bus. Qualifier 1 was next.
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@CricFanatic99: SRH finishes top of the table! 12 wins. Total dominance. Best team in the tournament by far.
@OrangeArmyForce: Bhuvi, Rashid, and Siraj in the top 3 for the Purple Cap. Our bowling attack is a cheat code.
@WarnerOrange: David Warner holding the Orange Cap again! He loves playing for Hyderabad.
@CricketMemesDaily: Siddanth Deva resting his entire main team for the last two games and still winning one of them is the biggest flex in IPL history.
@StatTrackerIPL: Deva had a quiet season with the bat because the top 4 chased everything down! He literally sat in the dugout for half the tournament.
@MastermindDeva: Deva setting the field from mid-off and getting wickets for his bowlers. You can see his brain working every single over.
@BumrahFanBoy: I wish MI had a bowling attack like SRH. They bowl out teams for fun. 5 bowled out games!
@TeluguCinemaFreak: Deva didn't even bowl in the last two games. He just stood there and watched his reserves play. Boss behavior.
@DannyMorrison: What a group stage from Sunrisers Hyderabad! Now onto the playoffs.
@KKR_Forever: SRH beat us easily at Eden Gardens. Deva's 55 off 24 balls was pure class.
@SRH_Update: Rested players: Kane, Dhawan, Samson, Rashid, Boult, Siraj. Deva is saving the big guns for Qualifier 1.
@CricketBanter: First loss of the season for SRH comes in the final game when they played their B-team. Nobody panic.
@NitaAmbaniCam: MI finished second on the table. We have to face SRH in Qualifier 1. I am scared.
@IPL_Insider: The way Deva managed his bowlers this season is a masterclass in T20 captaincy. He rotates them perfectly.
@Trendulkar: Arjun Tendulkar takes 4 wickets in 2 matches! Deva's mentoring is really working.
@BoultLightning: Trent Boult picking up early wickets makes SRH impossible to beat.
@RashidMagic: Rashid Khan's googly to get Uthappa out was planned perfectly by the captain.
@CricketLoverInd: I hate rain. We missed a great match between RCB and SRH in Bangalore.
@DevaCult: Deva stats this season look low, but his impact as a captain is 100%.
@SportsJournalist: Sunrisers Hyderabad are the clear favorites to win the trophy again this year.
@MIPaltan: Qualifier 1 is going to be epic. MI vs SRH. Mumbai vs Hyderabad. Let's go!
@SirajExpress: Mohammed Siraj is having a breakout season. Learning from Deva and Bhuvi is working.
@Cricket_Humor: [Picture of Deva sitting in the dugout looking bored while Warner hits centuries].
@SRH_Forever: Back to back trophies? I think yes.
@T20Stats: 5 times SRH bowled the opposition out. That is very rare in T20 cricket.
@RaviShastriQuotes: Ravi always loves seeing Deva bring himself on to bowl to break a stubborn partnership.
@CricketAddict: The reserves got some good practice in the last two games. Arjun bowled really well under pressure.
@IPL_Moments: The handshake between the captains after the group stage ended. Respect.
@HyderabadBlues: Qualifier 1 is in Mumbai. But the final is in Hyderabad. We are bringing the cup home.
@CricWorld: Group stage done. The business end starts now.
Siddanth Deva: IPL 2017 Group Stage Statistics
Matches Played: 13 (Rested in the abandoned game vs RCB)
Innings Batted: 8
Total Runs: 375 Runs
Highest Score: 81* (vs Mumbai Indians)
Fifties: 2
Strike Rate: 220.40
Overs Bowled: 24 Overs (Did not bowl in multiple matches)
Wickets Taken: 8 Wickets
Best Bowling: 2/18 (vs Delhi Daredevils)
Economy Rate: 6.50