IPL 2019 Auction: 5 released players SRH should target  

The last day of the IPL trade window grabbed headlines as various high profile cricketers have been released by their franchises. One major reason behind the release of international players is that many of the international stars will not be available for the last phase of the tournament due to their World Cup commitment.

The franchises will be keen to invest on players who may not feature in the ICC World Cup. Hence, the T20 specialists will be of greater demand this season.

Sunrisers Hyderabad has released nine players which include Wriddhiman Saha, Chris Jordan, Carlos Brathwaite, Alex Hales, and Shikar Dhawan. They have gotten the service of Vijay Shankar, Shahbaz Nadeem, and Abhishek Sharma as a part of Dhawan's swap-deal with Delhi Daredevils.

SRH will be focussing on getting at least seven players in the IPL auction to settle their squad.

Here is the list of five released players Sunrisers Hyderabad should target in IPL auction.

#5 Saurabh Tiwary (India) - Released by Mumbai Indians

Sunrisers Hyderabad has had a decent outing last season. However, the one area where they struggled a lot was during the middle overs. Manish Pandey, who was bought for 11 crores last season, was trusted to lead the middle order unit. However, he struggled to justify his price tag and failed to make an impact throughout the tournament. His failure to accelerate in the death overs cost them few games too.

SRH will be looking to boost their middle-order with some aggressive domestic talents. Saurabh Tiwary will be an interesting backup option they can try. Saurabh Tiwary hit a purple patch in the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament right before 2018 IPL tournament. However, Mumbai Indians did not give him a chance despite their middle-order issues.

Now that MI has released Tiwary, SRH can buy him at the auction for a cheaper price. Tiwary is an aggressive batsman and will be an asset to the team should he get a consistent run in the middle-order.

#4 Manan Vohra (India) - Release by Royal Challengers Bangalore

Vohra failed in the middle-order for RCB last season

SRH need an Indian opener to act as a backup for David Warner since he will leave the tournament half-way for the International duty. RCB picked up Manan Vohra for a sum of 1.1 crores last season after an auction war with Delhi Daredevils. However, the stylish opening batsman was asked to play in the middle order for RCB as Virat Kohli opened the innings.

He got only four games to bat and scored 55 runs failing to make an impact. Vohra cannot be blamed entirely for his dismal season as he was expected to perform well in his unfamiliar batting position.

Now that RCB has released him, Vohra can find a team who trust him with his opening batting. SRH needs an Indian opener and it will be a win-win for both SRH and Vohra should they buy him in the auction this season.

#3 Jean-Paul Duminy (South Africa) - Released by Mumbai Indians

JP Duminy is in fine form for the South African limited overs side this year

Mumbai Indians signed Duminy for the base price of 1.00 Crore INR during last season's IPL auction. However, Duminy played only six games for MI and did not get enough opportunity to prove his value for the franchise.

Duminy is one of the consistent performers for South Africa and is an integral part of their ODI and T20 setup. Duminy is in good form for the Proteas as he has an average of 52.67 and strike-rate of 129.51 in T20s this year. He also has the knack of getting crucial wickets at the right time.

Duminy may play the whole tournament as there is no news from South Africa on the World Cup training camp. SRH can get his service at the base price and he can add good depth to the 2016 champions' squad.

#2 Axar Patel (India) - King XI Punjab

Axar Patel had a roller-coaster ride with Kings XI

Axar Patel was retained by Kings XI Punjab last season hoping that he will take the mantle of a bowling allrounder for Kings XI Punjab. Patel, however, he failed to live up to the expectation as he could manage only three wickets and 80 runs from his nine games. It was a complete contrast to his 2017 IPL performance as he took 15 wickets and scored 227 runs.

Kings XI Punjab's decision to release will help SRH to get Axar's support. SRH has released all-rounders like Carlos Brathwaite, Chris Jordon and will be in need of an all-rounder to fill the void. Also, SRH released Bipul Sharma from their squad and will be in need of a left-arm spinner.

Like Manan Vohra, Axar Patel can restart his career with SRH should they buy him in IPL auction.

#1 Aaron Finch (Australia) - Released by King XI Punjab

Finch is worth a gamble SRH can take in the IPL auction

Kings XI Punjab surprised everyone by releasing Aaron Finch from their squad. Aaron Finch, who was bought by Kings XI Punjab for a whopping 6.2 crore, has been in scintillating form this year for Australia. The opener has scored 469 runs in T20I at an average of 52.11 and a strike-rate of 189.88. He created a world T20I record by scoring 172 runs against Zimbabwe this year.

However, Finch was asked to play in the middle-order by Kings XI to accommodate Gayle and Rahul in the opening slot. Finch struggled to make a mark and scored just 134 runs from his 10 games. He would need a team who can provide him with an opening slot to unleash his talent.

Considering the fact that Dhawan is no more part of SRH, the 2016 Champions need an experienced opening batsman to replace him. His partnership with Warner can establish fear in opponents bowling line-up.