Picture Credit: BCCI/IPL
Sunrisers Hyderabad are one of the most consistent performers at the marquee event and have lifted the elusive and prestigious trophy in 2016 under the leadership of David Warner. They retained a total of 22 players in 2020 as they had a decent performance, finishing 3rd on the points table. In the IPL 2021 auction that took place in Chennai, Sunrisers were pretty quiet and ended up buying just 3 players in the form of J Suchith, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman and Kedar Jadhav. Here is Sunrisers Hyderabad's strongest Playing XI:
1. David Warner
Talismanic skipper and opening batsman David Warner has been one of the most consistent players of SRH. David Warner has notched up a total of 5254 runs in the IPL and has also bagged 3 orange caps in 6 seasons. His astute leadership has redefined SRH and their cricketing achievements.
2. Wriddhiman Saha
Indian compact opening batsman Wriddhiman Saha has been a powerful force in the IPL. He has time and again proven his credentials as an opener and since there are only 4 overseas combinations available per team, Saha might just get a nod ahead of English wicketkeeper-batsman Johnny Bairstow. Saha played a pivotal role in SRH’s campaign in 2020 and steered them to the playoffs with his gutsy knocks.
3. Kane Williamson
New Zealand all-format skipper Kane Williamson can come in at number 3 and anchor the innings. His approach to the game is quite different from Warner and Bairstow and he can hold the innings tightly from one end and let the batsman at the other end play freely. In the 53 matches he has played in the IPL, Williamson has notched up 1619 runs at an average of 39.49. This includes 15 half-centuries.
4. Manish Pandey
Manish Pandey is an indispensable part of the SRH franchise and has been a consistent performer of the team since 2018, when he moved from Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Pandey is another rock-solid middle order batsman who can anchor the innings as well as go for the big ones. He recently missed Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament and India’s home series against England due to a tennis elbow injury. He will be hungry to score runs.
5. Priyam Garg
The captain of the Indian under-19 team Priyam Garg will come in at number 5 for SRH. He is a prodigy and a sensational batsman from Uttar Pradesh who has a bright future ahead of him. Though he did not have a great season last year as he managed to plunder only 130 runs in 10 matches, SRH might repose faith in him and look at their long-term options and benefits.
6. Vijay Shankar
Fiery Telangana all-rounder Vijay Shankar adds depth to SRH’s batting and has tremendous power-hitting abilities. He has played in 40 IPL games for different franchises and has scored 654 runs at a S/R of 127.73. He is an extremely reliable finisher and can bowl a few overs too. He has played 12 ODIs and 9 T20I s for India and the international experience can be handy for the franchise.
7. Jason Holder
Marquee player of SRH, Jason Holder has the Midas touch in the IPL. He is one of the most powerful hitters of the ball and is a specialist swing bowler and can swing the cherry in both directions. Last season he picked up 14 wickets in just 7 games.
8. Rashid Khan
Wily spin wizard from Afghanistan can literally spin a web and bamboozle all batsman. He has essentially been the backbone of SRH’s bowling department and has time and again been performed for them religiously. In just 62 matches for the Orange army, Khan has picked up 75 wickets and is a force to reckon with.
9. Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bhuvneshwar Kumar missed out on the majority of IPL 2020 due to a thigh-muscle injury. But he is back in full swing and has been performing exceptionally well for Team India in the limited overs format. His inscrutable swing bowling has made the batsmen unaware of his exploits. He is a brilliant death bowler and has been spearheading SRH’s pace battery for quite some years.
10. T Natarajan
T Natarajan sweet’s success story has brought up a smile on quite a few individuals face in the cricketing world. He went as a net bowler to Australia and ended up representing India in all 3 formats due to injuries to other bowlers. He performed exceptionally well in those games. His toe-crushing yorkers and consistency with the swing has made him an indispensable part of SRH. He has picked up 18 wickets in 22 matches in the IPL so far.
11. Shahbaz Nadeem
Shahbaz Nadeem will be the second spinner in the SRH side after Rashid Khan. His deceptive webs can be fatal to the batsman and has time and again been beneficial for his team. He has taken a total of 47 wickets from 71 games in the cash-rich league. Shahbaz Nadeem can definitely churn in wonders for SRH, when he bowls in tandem with Rashid.
