IPL 2014: Sunrisers Hyderabad - The sun can rise but will it shine?

Aaron Finch (L) and David Warner – can they deliver?

The nationalities shall mingle, the nights shall sparkle. The serials will go to the backstage with the fours and sixes set to take the centre stage. Summer is back and so is cricket. It’s that time of the year. Time for some cricket, dance, party, and some betting (wink! Wink!)

It’s time for IPL!

Sunrisers Hyderabad, the debutant in the last edition, raised some eyebrows with startling performances. They built a fortress that proved elusive despite eight attempts to conquer it. More than the batsmen, it was their bowlers who made merry. Karan Sharma and Amit Mishra spun a web constantly with the Steyn gun demolishing hopes of the opposition. The batsmen, led by Shikhar Dhawan, put up just enough to stay in the hunt. They eventually fell short, unable to handle the bigger, better and fancier teams in the last hurdle.

In this year’s auction, they were smart. They addressed key areas, brought in match winners, used money more judiciously. But no team perfects the auction. Sunrisers didn’t, either. Let’s see what they have and whom they will miss dearly.

Many believe T20 is a batsman’s game. Only fours and sixes win the game, they think. How naive they are! Bowlers are always central to win a game. SRH boasts a strong bowling line-up that has beautiful mix of pace and spin.

The Core:

Dale Steyn is the leader of the pace attack. An out-and-out quickie is always an asset to any team. He can rattle the batsman with pace and bounce. The energy he displays on the field is exceptional. He takes wickets, plenty of them, and that’s the easiest way to keep the runs down. Mishra and Karan Sharma form a great spin attack with Parveez Rasool for company. Even though the two spinners are of the same mould, they are very different: Mishra uses more guile, while Sharma relies on his length; Mishra is slower through the air, while Sharma is a tad quicker giving batsmen no time to come down the track easily; Mishra lures the batsmen, whereas Sharma strangles them. The spin twins, thus, complement each other very well.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is an interesting addition to this team. Out of the current Indian crop of bowlers, he stands at the top. If there is any life in the pitch, he is sure to exploit it. With Dale Steyn, this opening combination could be lethal. Irfan Pathan and Ishant Sharma will fight it out for the fifth bowler’s slot. Both can be either exceptional or erratic. It’s sad that both tend to move towards the latter. Irfan’s batting will give him an edge. However, he should join the team as a bowler who can bat and not the other way around.

Dhawan’s captaincy will be critical in how he rotates his bowlers. All three Indian pacers aren’t made for death bowling. That’s an area the opposition will look to exploit. Trying Karan Sharma at the death is a tempting idea.

The Top Three:

David Warner, Aaron Finch and Dhawan form one of the most explosive combinations at the top. The Australian duo should open the batting considering that they open for the national team, as well. Better understanding always helps, especially at the top. However, Dhawan’s recent form will be a cause of concern.

The Finisher:

Darren Sammy – too much responsibility to shoulder

One look at the squad and you are certain to ask where the finisher is. Who is that player who will make the below-par total a winning one? Who will win you a match from the claws of a defeat? Yes, they have Darren Sammy. But he is the only one. He has phenomenal power, amazing ability to match the best, but he lacks the X-factor. Will he be able to perform day in and day out? One thing is for sure: he will inspire the whole team to rise above their levels. Watch out for new celebrations, too. The other option is Moises Henriques who blows hot and cold.

The Middle Muddle:

With these players filling up nine slots, there is only a couple of slots left. This is where the SRH will struggle. This puts enormous pressure on one of the top three to bat the entire 20 overs. Dhawan will be the vital cog in this batting line-up. Naman Ojha is certain to play considering the only other credible wicket-keeping option is Brendan Taylor. Amit Paunikar is in the reserves, but Ojha is a better batsman. The other slot will be a musical chair. Despite the presence of Venugopal Rao, an option to rotate the strike in the middle, and Ricky Bhui, an exciting U-19 player, Manpreet Juneja is the likeliest to play.

The team has an exciting top order, lacks quality in the middle, misses big lower-order hitters, has wonderful spinners, a brilliant quickie, and better Indian pacers. They don’t have a great team on paper but can pack a punch. Other teams tend to take them lightly, which will work to their advantage. They have a solid team but miss that key element: the one thing that separates the champions from the rest. A mid table finish is what they might find themselves in.

As they have shown in the first season, the sun can rise. But will it shine for the two months?