IPL 2016 Predicted XI: Sunrisers Hyderabad

The 2016 IPL is just a day away and the teams are gearing up for the tournament. Sunrisers Hyderabad is one of the most inconsistent teams in the past and this year, they have a good team that is capable of striking the gold.

In the 2016 IPL auctions, Sunrisers brought Yuvraj Singh, Mustafizur Rahman, Deepak Hooda, Ashish Nehra, Aditya Tare etc. They needed two Indian middle order batsmen and a local pacer and they brought them in the auctions.

There are a lot of competitions from the players to get into the playing XI and most likely the likes of Kane Williamson, Trent Boult, Aditya Tare etc. might be left out from the team.

Let us take a look at the possible Sunrisers Hyderabad XI ahead of this season.

Shikhar Dhawan

The out of form Indian opener will have his task cut out for the Hyderabad outfit as they are looking for the gold this season.

Dhawan, who had a great start to 2016 with some quick-fire knocks in Australia that set the tone for the men in blue to create history by becoming the first team in the history to whitewash Australia in Australia. In the three-match series against Sri Lanka, he looked good as India beat their neighbours 2-1.

And since then, Dhawan hit the pale patch as he failed to get his team off to a flier in the Asia Cup and recently concluded World T20 and was eventually dropped from the Indian team ahead of the all-important semi-finals.

His form will be a huge concern for the team. Now the onus is on Dhawan to put the past behind him and score some runs in the IPL.

David Warner

Shikhar Dhawan’s opening partner and the skipper of Sunrisers Hyderabad, David Warner is one of the key men for Sunrisers as he has been their most consistent batsman in the last three years.

Just like Dhawan, Warner had a terrible World T20 as he was asked to bat in the middle order instead of opening the innings. Warner, who had a sensational season with Australia barring the World T20 can still deliver the goods in this IPL. If Sunrisers wish to go all the way to glory, then this New South Welshman has to fire on all cylinders.

After coming in to bat at number 4 in the series against South Africa and the World T20, Warner will move to the top of the order for Sunrisers and the team management will hope for a blistering start from the Aussie which will set the tone for the Men in Orange in IPL.

Naman Ojha

Naman Ojha, who made his Test debut for India last year is one of the Indian wicketkeeper-batsman who has a very good record in IPL. Ojha is consistent with the bat and he was the only one who stood up in the Sunrisers Hyderabad middle-order over the three years.

In the 81 matches he played in the IPL so far, Ojha has scored 1338 runs at an average of 22.3 and a strike-rate of 120.98, which are not bad numbers in T20s.

Ojha is a type of batsman who can keep the scorecard ticking and can accelerate with ease whenever needed. Ojha will play the role of anchor in the Sunrisers line-up.

With Aditya Tare in the line-up, Ojha will have a competitor for his spot in the XI and it should motivate him to perform better in this year’s IPL.

Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh doesn’t need any introduction when it comes to T20s. The dashing southpaw set the 2007 World T20 on fire by smashing six sixes in an over bowled by Stuart Broad.

Yuvraj is also India’s one of the most successful T20 batsmen, but the same cannot be said for the Indian Premier League. Even after 8 editions, Yuvraj is set the tournament on fire.

He will look to change the fortunes in this year’s edition. Sunrisers brought him in the IPL auctions and with that, Yuvraj Singh is set to play for his fifth IPL team in nine editions.

Yuvraj Singh is injured for the first two weeks ad in his place, Aditya Tare might get the nod in the playing XI.

Eoin Morgan

In spite of leading his team all the way to the Finals, England captain Eoin Morgan is not in the kind of form the fans would have expected him to be in.

He was the only failure for England in the World T20 as he scored a total of 66 runs in 6 innings at an average of 13.20, which is below-par by a batsman’s standard.

Morgan was done in by the spin as he got out to the spinners four times in six innings he played in the tournament and in the remaining two, he was unbeaten in one and was run-out in the other. With the IPL set to be played in the same conditions that tend to favour spin, Morgan has his task cut out.

Given his track record for Sunrisers in IPL, it won’t be a surprise for Morgan to regain his lost touch and succeed in the IPL. With Yuvraj Singh ruled out for the first two weeks, a lot of responsibility lies on the shoulders of Eoin Morgan.

Moises Henriques

The Australian All-Rounder returns to action after missing the Big Bash League due to injury. Apart from Warner, Henriques was the other shining star in Sunrisers’ batting line-up last season as he played consistently throughout the tournament.

He also provides the team some much-needed balance as he is capable of scoring 30 runs in quick time and bowling four good overs consistently. He was the all-rounder Sunrisers were looking for and the team management will be happy to see the New South Welshman back on the field.

With Yuvraj Singh out for the first two weeks and Eoin Morgan completely off-colour with the bat, Henriques has to step up to give the Men in Orange some chance of qualifying for the Playoffs and clinching the gold.

Deepak Hooda

The youngster was rewarded for his heroics for Rajasthan Royals in last year’s IPL and in the domestic circuit for Baroda this year.

Hooda was one of the finds in last year’s IPL with an unbeaten fifty off 24 balls against Delhi Daredevils and took his side home.

Hooda is a batsman who is capable of scoring some quick runs with the bat and can give the captain a luxury of bowling few overs when needed.

Karn Sharma

Leg-spinner Karn Sharma has been one consistent performer with the ball for Sunrisers in the past couple of editions. The team management will expect a better season from the Railways bowler in this edition.

Karn is a kind of bowler who tends to bowl at a good economy and this year, he will look to pick wickets at regular intervals. He has to take charge of controlling the run-rate in the mid overs.

Apart from Karn, Sunrisers does not have a frontline spinner and this leggie will have his task cut out when he takes the field for the Men in Orange.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

The Indian pacer who showed a lot of promise when he made his debut has just faded away. He is not the same bowler who swings the ball both ways.

But for Sunrisers Hyderabad, he has been a completely different player all together as he swings the ball at the start and at the death, he bowls very good Yorkers and keeps the opposition at bay.

A good Indian bowler to back him was lacking in the previous years and with the arrival of Ashish Nehra, there is someone to complement Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s good work.

Ashish Nehra

36-year-old Ashish Nehra has been on a roll ever since he made a comeback into the Indian team for the T20 season earlier this season. Nehra has been instrumental for India as he gave the team a breakthrough inside the first six overs.

Nehra also had a great 2015 IPL in which he became a revelation for Chennai Super Kings and because of his performances, Nehra got a call-up into the Indian team.

A second Indian pacer is what Sunrisers lacked in the past and with Ashish Nehra roped into the side at the 2016 Auctions, Sunrisers will hope for some change in fortunes.

Mustafizur Rahman

Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman grabbed the limelight after his exploits against India in his debut series in which he took 13 wickets in 3 matches.

Since then, the left-arm pacer has lived up to the hype and is one of Bangladesh’s proven match winner in the last one year.

When Sunrisers spent a huge amount for Mustafizur in the IPL auctions, one thing was certain that Mustafizur will be in the playing XI ahead of Kiwi Trent Boult.

A bowling line-up with the likes of Mustafizur Rahman, Ashish Nehra, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Karn Sharma, Moises Henriques with some few overs from Yuvraj Singh and Deepak Hooda if needed is no push-over.