3 players SRH can sign as Washington Sundar's replacement for IPL 2023

SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) have been dealt a major blow with all-rounder Washington Sundar ruled out of the remainder of IPL 2023 with a hamstring injury. The franchise broke the news on their social media handles on the morning of Thursday, April 27.

It comes as a massive jolt to an already struggling SRH unit, which has managed to win a mere two out of seven matches in IPL 2023. Languishing in ninth position in the points table and desperately needing a string of wins to climb up the ladder, this has come at the worst possible juncture for them, with Sundar showing signs of regaining his best form in their last fixture against the Delhi Capitals (DC).

It's not the first time the off-spinning all-rounder has been laid low by injury though. He has suffered multiple injuries throughout his career, even as he has been a regular in the Indian white-ball setup in recent times.

As SRH seeks to put their campaign back on track, they will also have a few replacement options in mind.

Here's a look at three players who they can consider:

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#1 Sanjay Yadav

Sundar's Tamil Nadu teammate Sanjay Yadav was part of the Mumbai Indians (MI) setup last year. He then won the Player of the Tournament award in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL), having amassed 452 runs and striking towering sixes at will, in addition to making his presence felt with the ball.

MI releasing him ahead of the IPL 2023 auction, with him subsequently going unsold, came as a shock to many. But SRH can certainly do with Sanjay's skillset of being a spin hitter, apart from being a left-hander who can be used as a floater.

That is something they seem to be missing at this point, with only Abhishek Sharma there to fall back on. While Sanjay is a left-arm spinner unlike Sundar, Aiden Markram's presence as an off-spinner shouldn't cause much concern on that front.

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#2 Tanush Kotian

While there were reports of him being reported for suspected bowling action, Mumbai's off-spinning all-rounder Tanush Kotian has been one of the brightest young prospects in domestic cricket.

He bagged the Player of the Match honors in the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2022-23, having snared three wickets while also chipping in with the winning runs. He carries a reputation for having a good head on his shoulders under pressure - much like Sundar - and his numbers across formats make for excellent reading.

His economy rate in T20s is a miserly 6.35 while a first-class batting average of 43.33 is enough indication of what he is capable of. Kotian is as like-for-like a replacement as they come for Sundar and SRH would certainly do well to have him in mind.

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#3 Shreyas Gopal

A former SRH player who was with the franchise last year, Shreyas Gopal carries truckloads of experience with him on the domestic circuit. He enjoyed a couple of fruitful seasons in the IPL as well for the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in 2018 and 2019, although he seems to have fallen off the radar of the franchises now.

Given that he has been with the setup before, SunRisers can certainly look at him as an option to turn to. While Gopal showed excellent batting form in the recent domestic season for Karnataka, he remains a crafty leg-spinner in his own right.

His signing will allow SRH to use him as a backup for Mayank Markande, who has been a pivotal player for the team in IPL 2023. Gopal, while being a right-handed batter, is also an excellent player of spin and can be used as a floater should he be signed as Sundar's replacement.

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Who do you think SRH should sign as Washington Sundar's replacement for IPL 2023? Have your say in the comments section below!

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