Former India batter Mohammed Kaif has voiced his concerns over Pat Cummins's leadership and Sunrisers Hyderabad's (SRH) performance in the ongoing IPL 2025 season.

SRH enjoyed a stellar season under Cummins last year, reaching the final of the tournament; however, the franchise has struggled to make a solid start, with three consecutive defeats leaving them in a fix.

Kaif spoke in detail about Cummins' captaincy following SRH's 80-run defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders on Thursday night, pointing at Cummins' decision to underutilize spinners Zeeshan Ansari and Kamindu Mendis despite their effective spells. Ansari and Mendis had bagged a wicket each, with Ansari bowling three overs and Mendis contributing just one.

Kaif questioned Cummins' leadership decisions, suggesting a lack of effective game plans for SRH's performance.

"The batting is not working, and so is the case with bowling. You are also losing very badly. It's very difficult to come back from here. You will expect them to come with some plans because neither is Cummins able to bowl nor is Shami picking up wickets," Kaif told Star Sports.

"They don't have spinners either. (Adam) Zampa didn't play in this match. They went with Zeeshan and he wasn't given all his overs. Mendis was given just one over. He picked up a wicket there but wasn't given any more overs. Cummins' captaincy is also looking weak to me," he added.

Kaif also suggested that SRH's dip in form might be due to the pressure of expectations following their explosive batting displays last season, where they routinely scored over 250 runs.

"In batting, 200 was a big target. I believe they are under pressure because of what they did last year. When you are under the spotlight that Hyderabad would score 300 or 250 this time, it's very difficult to repeat it under that pressure. You have done it once," he said.

SRH being decoded?

Kaif noted that opposition teams have adapted to SRH's style of play, especially targeting their top-order batters. He pointed out that in the past, players like Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma took advantage of unprepared bowling attacks, but now opposition teams have developed more tactical strategies against them.

"The teams were not prepared last time. Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma could score even 100 runs in six overs, and they weren't ready for that. However, I am seeing the plans this time. They are bowling slower balls and short balls to Abhishek," Kaif said.