Two IPL titles, two owners, eight captains and a roller coaster ride perfectly sums up Hyderabad’s tryst with the IPL.
After starting their IPL journey at the bottom of the points table, Deccan Chargers were resurrected by Adam Gilchrist and went on to became the champions of IPL in 2009. The captaincy was passed on to another wicket keeper batsmen, Kumar Sangakkara, but he couldn’t replicate Gilly’s magic.
David Warner then took the reins and thanks to his strong batting performances and incredible bowling display by his team’s bowlers, Hyderabad regained the IPL trophy in 2016. They will now begin their journey in 2017 as the defending champions and as strong contenders for the title.
The Hyderabad franchise has been in the news for off the field reasons as well, with the ownership being transferred from Deccan Chronicle Holdings Ltd to Sun TV channel Network in 2013, and subsequently, the franchise name was changed from Deccan Chargers to Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The Hyderabad team has so far played 139 matches with 63 wins and 76 losses – a win percentage of 45.23%.
Here, we trace the eventful journey of Hyderabad team prior to the start of IPL 2017.
IPL 2008: The biggest disappointment to the start of their IPL journey
Captain - VVS Laxman
Coach - Robin Singh
Loaded with T20 specialist players like Andrew Symonds, Adam Gilchrist, Shahid Afridi, Scott Styris and Rohit Sharma, Deccan Chargers were among the favourites in the inaugural season of the IPL. However, the team failed to get the perfect team combination and ended at the bottom of the points table with only two victories.
The disastrous and shocking beginning forced the management into making numerous changes for the next season.
The team jersey for the year was a combination of beige and black colour and the team logo was a charging bull in red and gold colour.
IPL 2009: Inspired victory and Gilly’s magical touch
Captain - Adam Gilchrist
Coach - Darren Lehmann
In the second season, the team management changed the entire backroom staff due to their pathetic performance in the first season. The jersey was changed to sparkling silver and blue colour and the team logo was also changed to white and blue.
Adam Gilchrist was given the captaincy of the team which had a fresh outlook, and the Australian transformed the team by making several changes. Herschelle Gibbs was given an extended run at the top of the order while some smart buys in the form of Dwayne Smith and Fidel Edwards brought balance to the team.
Indian players like Rohit Sharma, Pragyan Ojha, and RP Singh lived up to the expectations, while the little-known Harmeet Singh was a surprise package in the bowling department.
Gilchrist led from the front and scored the most runs for the team. He single-handedly demolished the strong Delhi Daredevils in the semi-finals. His blitzkrieg knock of 85 off only 35 balls is one of the best performances in IPL history and injected confidence in the team and helped them defeat RCB in the finals.
IPL 2010: The roller-coaster ride
Captain - Adam Gilchrist
Coach - Darren Lehmann
The defending champions looked started well, winning three of their first four matches. But then a series of defeats in the next five games sucked the momentum out and Deccan Chargers headed towards an early exit.
However, the team once again rose to the occasion and played a brand of inspiring cricket to win their last five matches. They eventually entered the semi-finals but were defeated by CSK.
IPL 2011: New team, poor performance
Captain - Kumar Sangakkara
Coach - Darren Lehmann
The 2010 auction meant that they were sweeping changes in the Deccan Chargers squad. The franchise signed stalwarts like Kumar Sangakkara, Dale Steyn, and Cameron White, along with Indian players like Shikhar Dhawan, Ishant Sharma and Amit Mishra.
Daniel Christian was the most interesting for the Hyderabad-based team, however, they lost key players in the form of Gilchrist, Rohit Sharma, Symonds and RP Singh.
Deccan Chargers began their 2011 campaign under the leadership of Kumar Sangakkara, but the lack of a strong Indian batsman in the middle order cost them a few matches. The bowling too was unbalanced and the team finished at number seven in the points table.
They lost four consecutive matches at crucial stages which ended their hopes of qualifying for the playoffs. Three inspiring victories in the end helped them in finishing their season on a high note.
IPL 2012: Another heartbreaking performance
Captain - Kumar Sangakkara
Coach - Darren Lehmann
The problems of 2011 became severe in the 2012 season as Deccan Chargers lost eleven matches out of 16 and finished at number seven in the points table. Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan had a fantastic tournament and finished as the third highest run scorer of the season.
The lower order once again disappointed except for Australian batsman Cameron White. The failure of Sri Lankan legend Sangakkara with the bat was startling and the bowling too only revolved around the pace and brute force of Dale Steyn.
IPL 2013: Sunrisers Hyderabad debut in the IPL
Captain - Kumar Sangakkara and Cameron White
Coach - Tom Moody
In 2012, things were awful on the field as well as off the field for Deccan Chargers. After finishing number seven in the points table, the team faced severe financial troubles. Deccan Chronicle Holdings Ltd decided to sell the franchise through a bidding process but backed off at the last moment.
BCCI then terminated them for financial reasons and a new bid was opened for the Hyderabad team. Sun TV Networks Limited won the bid and Sunrisers Hyderabad was born to replace the Deccan Chargers.
The 2013 edition of IPL was an impressive one for Sunrisers as they reached the qualifiers. The inclusion of all-rounders like Darren Sammy and Thisara Perera strengthened their batting as well as bowling department and helped them in winning crucial encounters.
Dhawan continued his good batting form while contributions from Parthiv Patel and Hanuma Vihari were notable. Amit Mishra was outstanding with the ball and was the Man of the Match on four occasions. Dale Steyn was once again the spearhead of the bowling attack and was very effective, while Karn Sharma and Ishant Sharma offered decent support to make Sunrisers one of the most formidable bowling units of the tournament.
IPL 2014: Few positives, more negatives
Captain - Darren Sammy and Shikhar Dhawan
Coach - Tom Moody
The inclusion of David Warner was the best thing to happen for Sunrisers in the auction of 2014, while the purchase of Bhuvneshwar Kumar too was also a smart move. Both Kumar and Warner topped the charts for most wickets and most runs, respectively, for the Sunrisers.
However, players like Amit Mishra, Dale Steyn, and Dhawan failed to live up to their huge reputations and hence Sunrisers could only win six matches in the league. They finished at sixth position in the points table.
Defeats against Mumbai, Punjab, and Kolkata in crucial stages closed the doors of qualifying for the final stages of the tournament for the Sunrisers and they finished yet another season marked by disappointment.
IPL 2015: Impressive but not good enough
Captain - David Warner
Coach - Tom Moody
After 9 matches, the Sunrisers were struggling as they had won only four games and had eight points. Then an impressive performance by Warner and the middle order enabled them to win three consecutive matches. However, defeats against Mumbai Indians and RCB in the last stage ended their chance of entering the qualifiers.
David Warner and Bhuvneshwar Kumar once again had fantastic tournament while Moises Henriques proved to be an important all-rounder for the team.
Overseas players like Trent Boult and Morgan added strength to the Sunrisers’ camp, but poor performances in the final stage of the tournament was again heartbreaking for their fans.
IPL 2016: The glory and rewards of a balanced team
Captain - David Warner
Coach - Tom Moody
IPL 2016 was all about Virat Kohli and his unbelievable batting heroics for RCB, but away from the limelight, David Warner fetched huge runs and built a strong well-balanced side that looked invincible at times.
Warner dominated the batting charts and was ably supported by Yuvraj Singh and Dhawan. Bhuvneshwar Kumar emerged as one of the best death overs bowler, while the mystery of Mustafizur Rahman’s cutters was too much to handle for the opposition. The final punch was delivered by Ben Cutting who stunned Kohli’s inspired RCB in the finals and helped Sunrisers lift the IPL trophy.
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