3 Indian players Sunrisers Hyderabad could target at the auction

The Sunrisers Hyderabad were one of the few dominant teams in the last season of the IPL. Despite their captain David Warner being banned, Kane Williamson led the side quite brilliantly and brought the best out of his players. Despite losing to the Chennai Super Kings in the final, the overall performance of the team was well above the fans expectations.

With 9.70cr in their kitty, the Sunrisers Hyderabad still have some scope for improvement. They need to strengthen their middle order due to its unpredictability. With Shikhar Dhawan swapped to Delhi in the trade window, the team needs to buy an excellent opener to replace him.

Let us have a look at the 3 Indian players the Sunrisers Hyderabad could target at the auction.

---

#3 Axar Patel

Axar Patel will be the player who will be targeted by almost every team at the 2019 IPL auction. Being a player who earned his opportunity in the Indian team due to his IPL performances in the recent seasons, there is a considerable possibility that Axar Patel will probably fetch the tag of being the most expensive Indian player at the auction.

Having been the only player retained by the Kings XI Punjab before the last auction, it was quite surprising to see the team releasing their star player.

Having picked up 61 wickets in 68 matches at an economy rate of 7.52 in his IPL career, Axar Patel is known for his accurate bowling, keeping things quiet in the middle overs and is a useful lower order batsman for any team.

With David Warner returning after a one-year ban in the next year's IPL, it is widely expected that the Sunrisers will play both him and Williamson in the same XI and so Shakib will probably be dropped from the starting line-up. Hence, if the Sunrisers get Axar Patel at the auction, then he and Rashid Khan can ball in tandem in the middle overs.

#2 Manoj Tiwary

Manoj Tiwary is among one of those several players IPL has helped to showcase their talents to the Indian fans in general. Being a technically sound middle-order batsman, Tiwary is quite dangerous towards the end of the innings due to his ability to hit the ball all over the park. Further, he also can stabilize the innings in the event of a batting collapse. Having been released by the Kings XI Punjab due to inconsistent performances last season, Manoj Tiwary will be a crucial player to watch out for at the 2019 IPL auction.

Having scored 1695 runs in 98 matches at a decent average of 28.72 and strike rate of 116.97, Manoj Tiwary could be a good option for SRH if they decide to buy him. He could also strengthen their fragile middle order and hence provide competition to Deepak Hooda and Yusuf Pathan for a place in their starting XI.

#1 Gautam Gambhir

CLT20 Kolkata Knight Riders v Nashua Titans

Gautam Gambhir is probably one of the most experienced players as well as Indian opener available at the 2019 IPL auction. Having left the Kolkata Knight Riders after winning two IPL titles in 2012 and 2014, Gambhir decided last season to opt for a new challenge and hence joined his home side the Delhi Daredevils.

Unfortunately, the move didn't succeed for Gambhir as he managed to score just 85 runs in 6 matches at a horrible average of 17.00. Hence, the Delhi Daredevils have released him before the auction next year.

With the Sunrisers Hyderabad trading Shikhar Dhawan to the Delhi Daredevils in the trade window, the Sunrisers now lack a suitable Indian opener in their squad. Hence, they should target Gambhir who will provide experience as well as quality and so fill the void left by Dhawan's departure in the Sunrisers Hyderabad squad.