'We looked at 2016; we were in the same situation where we had to win every game to win the title.'
SunRisers Hyderabad captain David Warner says their "never-say-die approach" helped them stage a turnaround and secure a spot in the IPL play-offs.
SunRisers Hyderabad thrived on pressure in a must-win match in Sharjah on Tuesday to thrash table-toppers Mumbai Indians by 10 wickets and qualify for the play-offs.
Warner (85 not out off 57) and Wriddhiman Saha (58 not out off 45) lit up the last league game of the tournament with an unbeaten 151-run opening stand to chase down the 150-run target in 17.1 overs.
"It feels good now after that dreadful loss against Kings XI Punjab. They (Mumbai Indians) rested a few players, but I told them 150 on this ground was great. A lot of credit goes to the bowlers, (Shahbaz) Nadeem was superb. We were trying to be as clinical with the bat then, and it feels good," he said, at the post-match presentation.
It was a third straight win for the SunRisers, who had to beat Mumbai Indians to qualify for the play-offs.
"We have a never-say-die attitude, and that is how we approach each game. We had a couple of injuries but they are here in spirit and we are doing it for them. If we can take this performance and momentum into the next game we'll be really happy.
"...We looked at 2016; we were in the same situation where we had to win every game to win the title. A dropped chance by Rashid Khan and his reaction shows how much it means to him. If we can take this performance and momentum into the next game we'll be really happy."
On his performance, he said: "I pride myself on getting my team to a great start. That is my duty, my job. Fortunately, the last few games have been great and we have been able to go in a positive manner."
SunRisers Hyderabad finished third in the points table with 14 and a much better run-rate than Royal Challengers Bangalore, who finished fourth on the same number of points. Both teams play the Eliminator in Abu Dhabi on Friday.
"RCB are a great team, very well led by Virat (Kohli). They have a lot of danger in their side. We beat them in the final in 2016 and I am excited for the challenge in a do or die game," added Warner.
