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SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) batter Harry Brook has lived up to his reputation and price tag with a heavily inconsistent maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) season. The English batter was acquired by the 2016 champions for a sum of ₹13.5 crore. but barring a sublime hundred against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens, he has flattered to deceive.
He began the tournament on a rough note, scoring only 29 runs across his first three innings. A move to the top was considered to be a change in fortunes for the promising player as he scored a hundred, but he is seemingly back to square one.
After another set of poor scores at the top of the order, SRH reverted to a left-hand-right-hand combination of Abhishek Sharma and Mayank Agarwal, leaving Brook once again in the middle order. Across his last three innings, he has scored only seven runs, which include two successive ducks.
SRH are at a major risk of missing out on the top four for the third edition in a row, and they will have to take some decisions with an iron fist, beginning with the axing of Brook from the playing XI.
Here are three reasons why SRH must drop Harry Brook from their playing XI after their loss to KKR in IPL 2023.
#1 Looking well out of touch and has already been given a lengthy rope
Harry Brook has not experienced cricket in subcontinent conditions except for his stints in Pakistan with the England national team and the Pakistan Super League (PSL). He has found it hard to adapt in India, and the IPL, often regarded as one of the toughest competitions in the world, has not made it easy for him as well.
The other teams have well exploited his issues against spin bowling. Brook lost his wicket to spinners across the first two matches and was recently dismissed by KKR's Anukul Roy. He has not been comfortable while facing spin bowling and that does not paint him in good light as tweakers will be even more prominent heading into the latter phase of the group stage.
He has already availed nine innings to prove his mettle but has not been able to assist the faltering SRH batting unit. He has scored only 163 runs in IPL 2023 so far at a strike rate of 121.64 and an average of 20.38.
#2 SRH have replacements in their mix
SRH's team combination primarily consists of three overseas batters. With Aiden Markram being the captain and Heinrich Klaasen being their most in-form batter, it leaves behind Harry Brook as the only potential name to be swapped.
Luckily for the franchise, they do have an ideal option for the middle order in Glenn Phillips. The New Zealand international has only made one appearance so far this season, scoring eight runs, but his potential warrants a longer run.
While he was far from his best during New Zealand's tour of India ahead of the IPL, he could bring a lot to the table compared to an out-of-sorts Brook.
Apart from Phillips, SRH have a slew of local talent who could be tested out, allowing the team to bring in other overseas stars like Adil Rashid and Fazalhaq Farooqi.
#3 SRH can't afford to carry players in their playing XI at this stage of the season
SRH have to pull off a miracle if they wish to qualify for the top four in what is already a very tight race with a major mid-table log jam. There is hardly anything to separate the sides, but SRH are still a couple of steps behind.
Every game for them is a knockout moving forward and they cannot afford to carry around deadwood in their playing XI hoping for them to regain form as the tournament progresses.
The Orange Army also have a tough set of fixtures remaining. They still have to play three sides out of the current top four and an in-form Mumbai Indians (MI) side away from home as well.
The challenging match list hardly looks like an avenue where an out-of-form Harry Brook could make a substantial impact to get SRH out of the current rut.
Will SRH stick with Harry Brook or replace him in the playing XI in the last stretch of matches in IPL 2023? Let us know what you think.
