'Focus on batting': Harbhajan Singh urges Kane Williamson to step down as SRH captain amid team's poor run

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are currently enduring a horrible run in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 as their playoffs hopes hang by the thinnest thread. SRH have 10 points from 12 matches and have an outside chance of making it to the playoffs if they can win their remaining two matches along with some favour from the other teams.

SRH had gotten off to a shaky start this season with back-to-back losses in their first two games. However, they looked on course to securing a berth in the playoffs after winning five matches in a row following defeats in the first two games. They had ten points with seven matches in hand.

However, their campaign has derailed ever since as they find themselves on the brink of elimination after losing their last five matches in a row. Sunrisers Hyderabad are winless for the last three weeks and a defeat against Mumbai Indians on Tuesday (May 17) will confirm their ouster from the tournament.

One of the major reasons behind SRH's struggles this season has been the poor form of captain Kane Williamson. The SRH skipper has failed to score runs consistently and has so far managed only 218 runs in 12 matches at a poor average of 18.91 and an even worse strike rate of just 92.85.

Amid his horrendous run with the bat and SRH's poor show in the tournament, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has suggested Williamson to give up captaincy and focus on his batting. Harbhajan recalled how Ricky Ponting did something similar in 2013 when he left captaincy midway through the season and helped the team win the title.

"Something similar happened with Ricky Ponting in 2013. He was captaining the team but he realized that he was letting the team down with his batting. So after 5-6 games, he himself stepped down and became a part of the think tank and we won the title that year," Harbhajan said on Sportskeeda.

"Williamson should think of handing the captaincy to someone else and focus on his batting. If he wants to be the captain again, he can come back next year," he added.

The former India spinner, who won a combined four IPL titles with Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings before retiring, was critical of Williamson's decision to bowl Washington Sundar in the 20th over against KKR in SRH's last outing. Harbhajan said it was a huge error from Williamson to bowl Sundar against Andre Russell in the last over.

"Giving Washington Sundar the 20th over that day (against KKR) was a huge error by Williamson, Tom Moody or whoever made that decision. Even a non-cricket person would understand that bowling off -spin to Russell at the death wasn't the right decision," said Harbhajan.