Why did Manish Pandey and Jonny Bairstow attack the wrong bowler?

If there was one bowler Sunrisers Hyderabad should've looked to see out, it would be Royal Challengers Bangalore's Yuzvendra Chahal.

But with the second-wicket partnership at 71 runs and the required run-rate less than 10, Manish Pandey looked to take Chahal on - off his third over's final delivery - but fell lofting one to long-off. He could've probably been more patient and just rotated the strike, especially since there were still eight overs to go. And then in Chahal's final over - the 16th - Jonny Bairstow, set on 61, was bowled trying to slog with the required run-rate less less than nine.

This gave Royal Challengers a window of opportunity which Chahal capitalised on further, dismissing Vijay Shankar for a duck. A collapse followed as Sunrisers lost their last eight wickets for only 25 runs.

Sunrisers have been a top-heavy team, with David Warner, Bairstow and Pandey as their top three. While that is their strength, their inexperienced middle order was a weak link for them coming into the tournament.

Youngsters Priyam Garg and Abhishek Sharma could not contribute much, and with Shankar out for a duck and Mitchell Marsh's ankle injury forcing him to bat only if needed, it left their middle order with too much to do. Rashid Khan came in to bat at No.7, and although he started off with a boundary, he could contribute only six runs off five balls.

Moving forward, Sunrisers will look to firm their middle order with a bit more experience, even if that means dropping Marsh - who walked away limping after his first-ball duck - for a more-experienced Mohammad Nabi. Alternatively, both men can be sidelined for Kane Williamson - who sustained a quad injury during training - at No. 3 and Manish Pandey at No. 4, which gives their batting order a bit more depth.

Although he's a left-hander like last season's opener Parthiv Patel, Padikkal is light on his toes and his batting grip isn't too firm, both traits that allow him to access parts of the field that Patel doesn't naturally explore.

Although he struggled after the powerplay, scoring 19 runs in his last 15 balls, Padikkal's explosive nature in the first six overs allowed Aaron Finch - who started slow - to settle in.

The only test that Padikkal now needs to pass is how he does against bowlers who come at him at 140-plus kph. If he can tick those boxes in Royal Challengers' upcoming games, then he'll be their first-choice opener for IPL 2020.