4 players who might be dropped by Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2019

The Sunrisers Hyderabad played quality cricket in the 2018 IPL and topped the table after the league stages of the tournament. The 2016 champion were dealt a severe blow just before the start of the tournament as their regular skipper, David Warner was banned due to his involvement in the Sandpaper gate scandal.

They appointed Kiwi batsman, Kane Williamson to take over the reins in his absence and he has been brilliant right through the season. He has led from the front with nearly 700 runs, including a whopping eight half-centuries.

Apart from their skipper, several others have contributed to their success. However, some have failed to live up to the expectations and hence might be overlooked for the next IPL season. Here are four players SRH might drop next season:

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Chris Jordan

Chris Jordan

The Barbados-born English all-rounder is an experienced T20 campaigner having played in the Big Bash League, Bangladesh Premier League and Pakistan Super League. Jordan began his IPL stint with the Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2016 when he was signed as a replacement for the injured Aussie pacer, Mitchell Starc. After a poor stint, he was released prior to the 2017 IPL auctions where he was bought by the Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 50 lakh.

Jordan donned the Orange jersey only once during the entire season, in which he took a solitary wicket but failed to score any runs. He was once again bought by the Sunrisers in the 2018 mega auctions for INR 1 crore. A flamboyant all-rounder, Jordan was expected to be a regular fixture in the SRH XI, as they did not have many overseas fast-bowling all-round options. Unfortunately, the Englishman played just one game in the league stage.

Jordan did not pick up any wickets and also failed to score any runs in his solitary appearance for the 2016 champions. Overall, Jordan has played 11 IPL matches in which he has scored 3 runs and taken 12 wickets. With Carlos Brathwaite and Shakib al Hasan (overseas all-rounders) looking good, it is highly unlikely that Jordan will get too many opportunities with SRH next season.

Wriddhiman Saha

Wriddhiman Saha

The only Indian cricketer to score a century in an IPL final, Saha represented three different franchises before joining the Sunrisers Hyderabad this season. Saha was bought by the Sunrisers for INR 5 crore. The 2011 IPL winner played 10 games for the Orange Army in the league stage, in which he managed to score 87 runs at a strike-rate of 116.0.

He was then dropped due to his poor showing, with 2008 ICC Under 19 World Cup winning wicket-keeper batsman, Shreevats Goswami, replacing him in the side. Saha is an experienced player when it comes to the IPL, having featured in all the 11 seasons so far.

In 114 IPL games, Saha has scored 1644 runs at a strike-rate of 129.85, with his highest score being 115* (in the 2014 IPL final) against the Kolkata Knight Riders. The Indian Test wicket-keeper is most likely to be overlooked for the 2019 IPL due to his poor showings this season coupled with the fact that he is already 34.

Mohammad Nabi

Mohammad Nabi

The Afghanistan all-rounder began his IPL stint last season (2017) when he was bought by the Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 30 lakh. Nabi, who has represented his country in 98 ODIs and 60 T20Is, is an experienced campaigner having played for several teams in the Pakistan Super League, Bangladesh Premier League, Caribbean Premier League and the Big Bash League.

Nabi played three matches in 2017, scoring 2 runs and picking up two wickets. He was bought by Hyderabad at the 2018 auctions for INR 1 crore. Nabi has played two games for Williamson's men this season, scoring 18 runs and picking a solitary wicket.

His unimpressive performances and Shakib's good showings meant he was kept out of the side for most of the season. Due to his poor performances in the past two editions and the fact that he will be 34 next year, he is likely to be overlooked for IPL 2019.

Basil Thampi

Basil Thampi

Thampi, who won the Emerging Player of the Year award in 2017, had a dream debut season with the now-defunct, Gujarat Lions. The Kerala speedster took 11 wickets in the 12 matches he played for the Suresh Raina-led side. Due to his impressive displays, he grabbed many eyeballs at the 2018 auctions where he was bought by the Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 95 lakh.

Much was expected from the 24-year-old pacer, but he failed to replicate his previous season's heroics. Thampi took five wickets in the four matches he played for Hyderabad this season.

In the game against the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Thampi created an unwanted record, finishing with the figures of 4-0-70-0. Overall, he has taken 16 wickets in as many matches in his IPL career. Thampi is likely to be dropped by Hyderabad next season due to his poor stint and the fact that they have plenty of domestic pacers in their squad.