Sunrisers Hyderabad is one of the most silent yet impactful teams in IPL history. In recent times, they have emerged as a pillar of consistency as they have made it to the top four every time since 2016. Sunrisers Hyderabad had perhaps the most fascinating season among others in 2020, as their progress during the course of the competition was both serene and to the point in bits and pieces.
How well they prevail in the IPL 2021 edition? How will they stack up in the competition, and how deep will they go? Well, all this and much more is about to get disclosed here in this pre-tournament preview of Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The SRH Team
Sunrisers Hyderabad is among the most balanced teams in the competition, and maybe that’s why they didn’t opt for many expulsions from the squad ahead of the mini auctions. Billy Stanlake, Fabian Allen, YarraPrithviraj, B Sandeep, and Sanjay Yadav were the names who faced the axe prior to the auctions, and these names were among the ones who rarely featured for the side in the last edition. With the only five names released from the squad, the SRH team had the smallest auction purse and could only manage to buy three players in the auction.
They were involved in some intense bidding battle for players like Shivam Dube, Adam Milne, and Krishnappa Gowtham, but due to lack of purse, they couldn’t acquire the services of any of the mentioned names. Below is the list of players they bought in the auction.
- Kedar Jadhav – ₹2 Cr
- JagdeeshaSuchith- ₹30 Lakh
- Mujeeb-ur-Rahman (Afghanistan)- ₹1.50
The SRH team only went for three players in the auction, the least for any team in this year’s IPL. Jadhav and Mujeeb have been acquired for their base price, whereas, the left-arm Karnataka’s spinner JagdeeshaSuchith got INR 10 Lakh extra from his base price.
Players to watch out
Since 2015, Sunrisers Hyderabad’s marquee performer has been their skipper David Warner. The talismanic left-hander has been leading from the front and aiding his team with ferocious starts in the powerplays. Kane Williamson would be the one steadying the ship in the middle-order with Manish Pandey.
Both Manish and Kane reprised their roles perfectly in the middle-order in the last season, and once again, they will be having their task cut-out. In Kedar Jadhav, they have got more experience and depth in the middle-order, and he would prove more than just a batsman in the lineup with his crucial off-breaks. Youngsters Abdul Samad and Abhishek Sharma were impressive in whatever opportunities came their way, and this time around, they would be hoping to carry on from where they left in the last season. Jonny Bairstow and Jason Holder are the other two preferable overseas choices, but it would be interesting to see if both or at least one of them plays as a regular in the side.
The SRH squad has always been blessed with quality bowlers, and once again they have got all their bases covered in this facet. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rashid Khan will be the prime figures, whereas, the find of the last season, the new ‘Yorker Kings,’ T Natrajan will once again be the death overs specialist. Acquiring the services of Mujeeb-ur-Rahman is nothing short of a masterstroke, as he is an apt backup for Rashid Khan. Shahbaz Nadeem and JagdeeshaSuchith will be the other spin-bowling options in the SRH squad.
SRH Scheduled Matches For IPL 2021
Sunrisers Hyderabad will kick-off their season against the Knight Riders in Chennai. They will be playing five games in Chennai, four in Delhi, three in Kolkata, and two in Bengaluru. Here’s the full schedule of the SRH team
Match 1: Sunrisers Hyderabad VS Mumbai Indians Bangalore, April 11, Chennai, 7:30 PM
Match 2: Sunrisers Hyderabad VS Royal Challengers Bangalore, April 14, Chennai, 7:30 PM
Match 3: Sunrisers Hyderabad VS Mumbai Indians, April 17, Chennai, 3:30 PM
Match 4: Punjab Kings VS Sunrisers Hyderabad, April 21, Chennai, 7:30 PM
Match 5: Delhi Capitals VS Sunrisers Hyderabad, April 25, Chennai, 7:30 PM
Match 6: Sunrisers Hyderabad VS Chennai Super Kings, April 28, Delhi, 7:30 PM
Match 7: Sunrisers Hyderabad VS Rajasthan Royals, May 2, Delhi, 3:30 PM
Match 8: Mumbai Indians VS Sunrisers Hyderabad, May 4, Delhi, 7:30 PM
Match 9: Sunrisers Hyderabad VS Chennai Super Kings, May 7, Delhi, 7:30 PM
Match 10: Sunrisers Hyderabad VS Royal Challengers Bangalore, May 9, Kolkata, 7:30 PM
Match 11: Sunrisers Hyderabad VS Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata, May 13, 7:30 PM
Match 12: Delhi Capitals VS Sunrisers Hyderabad, May 17, Kolkata, 7:30 PM
Match 13: Sunrisers Hyderabad VS Punjab Kings, May 19, Bengaluru, 7:30 PM
Match 14: Sunrisers Hyderabad VS Kolkata Knight Riders, May 21, Bengaluru, 3:30 PM
SRH Expected Playing Eleven For The First Game Against KKR
- David Warner (C)
- Jonny Bairstow
- Manish Pandey
- Kane Williamson
- Priyam Garg/Kedar Jadhav
- Vijay Shankar
- Abdul Samad/Abhishek Sharma
- Rashid Khan
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar
- T Natrajan
- Khaleel Ahmed/Siddarth Kaul
Complete SRH Team Squad For IPL 2021
David Warner (C), Abhishek Sharma, Basil Thampi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, T Natarajan, Jonny Bairstow, Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Mohammad Nabi, J Suchith, Shreevats Goswami, Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Jason Holder, Mitchell Marsh, Priyam Garg, Virat Singh, Shahbaz Nadeem, Kedar Jadhav, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Siddarth Kaul, Vijay Shankar, WriddhimanSaha, Abdul Samad
Time to wrap up: Despite only going for three players in the auction, Sunrisers still looks like one of the most composite sides. They have uniformity in their approach, which makes them a force to be reckoned with. This season is going to be an exciting one for them, and it would be interesting to see how deep they go in the competition.
