From five consecutive playoff appearances, which included a title and a runners-up finish, to ending up at the bottom of the table in two of the last three seasons – it’s been a dramatic decline for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League. David Warner and Rashid Khan, their most successful captain and spinner respectively, have moved on. So has Kane Williamson. They bid ₹13.25 crore for Harry Brook last year, but the England batter too has been released after a disappointing season.
Precious little went right for SRH in IPL 2023. Led by Aiden Markram for the most part, they won just four of their 14 league games to finish with the least number of points. Heinrich Klaasen (12th position) was their only batter among the top 37 run-scorers across teams and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (14th) their only bowler among the top 22 wicket-takers.
Heading into Tuesday’s player auction for IPL 2024, the Sunrisers have it all to do. They will have the second biggest purse, after Gujarat Titans, and will need to fill a number of gaps in their squad to have any chance of turning things around. Last month, they traded left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed from Royal Challengers Bangalore in exchange of Mayank Dagar.
In August, SRH got their fourth new head coach in six seasons, Daniel Vettori, the assistant coach of the Australia men’s team, replacing West Indies legend Brian Lara. Tom Moody and Trevor Bayliss had the job before them. Vettori had coached Royal Challengers Bangalore from 2014 to 2018, helping them to reach the playoffs in consecutive seasons.
What stands out in the SRH squad is the trio of South Africa cricketers Markram, Klaasen and Marco Jansen. All three featured regularly in the ODI World Cup, helping their team reach the semi-finals. Markram wasn’t at his best in the last IPL but is a proven performer in the middle order and a useful off-spinner. Jansen’s ability as a left-arm pacer and his much-improved batting makes him a strong option in the squad.
Klaasen has been one of the most devastating white-ball batters in recent times. The 32-year-old ‘keeper-batter hit a sensational 83-ball 174 in an ODI against Australia three months ago and followed that up with a 67-ball 109 against England in the World Cup. SRH should find themselves in a promising position if he gets on a roll.
Glenn Phillips and Fazalhaq Farooqi – the other overseas players in the squad – have also done well this year for New Zealand and Afghanistan respectively.
The major concerns for SRH lie at the top of the batting order and in the spin department. Mayank Agarwal was acquired for ₹8.25 crore last December but didn’t make an impact in IPL 2023. Abhishek Sharma, who has shown he has potential, is yet to perform consistently in the tournament. A Travis Head, Daryl Mitchell or Rachin Ravindra could lend that much-needed firepower up the order. Shahrukh Khan’s presence as a lower-order hitter could also allow SRH to send Markram at the top.
In terms of spin, Rashid has left a gaping hole. It is, of course, tough to find a replacement for the Afghan star but the options SRH have at the moment will probably not be enough. While Washington Sundar is a quality all-rounder and Mayank Markande can be useful, the Sunrisers could do with another attacking spinner. Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga, for instance, would be an ideal fit as a leg-spinner and lower-order batter.
As far as fast bowling is concerned, SRH will again rely heavily on Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan and Umran Malik. Bhuvneshwar, not picked for India for over a year, was among the wickets in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Natarajan too has led the Tamil Nadu attack in recent months.
Umran’s form, however, has been concerning. The 24-year-old was part of the ODI squad for the West Indies tour in July but hasn’t played a T20I since February. He wasn’t picked for the ongoing South Africa tour and hasn’t played consistently at domestic level either. With his express pace, he’s been marked for the future by many and SRH will hope he bounces back with a strong IPL campaign.
SRH can always bolster their pace department by bringing in Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc or Lockie Ferguson.
