IPL 2018: 3 Sunrisers Hyderabad players who should step up their game before the playoffs

Sunrisers Hyderabad became the first team to qualify for the 2018 Indian Premier League playoffs. Kings XI Punjab’s hammering at the hands of Royal Challengers Bangalore has assured a top-two finish for SRH. As a result, SRH has a high chance of reaching their second final in three years.

Kane Williamson’s tremendous run of form and excellent captaincy are the key reasons behind their qualification. With Shikhar Dhawan regaining his touch, SRH batting looks rock solid at the top. If SRH needs to win their second title, then the rest of the lineup should support their top-order. Among them, the following three players should immediately step up their game before the playoffs.

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#3 Manish Pandey

In this season, Fielding is the only valuable contribution from Manish Pandey

For years, David Warner shouldered the batting responsibility of SRH with the help of Dhawan. To strengthen their middle-order, SRH went heavy in the 2018 auction and bought Manish Pandey for a whooping sum of INR 11 crores.

Manish Pandey was the mainstay in Kolkata Knight Riders middle-order for the past few years. Before the start of the ongoing season, SRH’s think-tank profoundly expected Pandey to replicate his KKR heroics for them. However, Pandey failed miserably for SRH with just 189 runs in 10 innings. He scored just two 50’s with one of them coming in losing cause against Punjab. His only valuable contribution in all the 12 games is his excellent fielding skills.

Perhaps the burden of enormous price tag might have affected his performance. It is high time for Pandey to come up with some good performances before the playoffs.

#2 Shakib Al Hasan

Shakib needs to step up with the bat for SRH

In 12 games, Shakib took 12 wickets with an economy rate of 7.72. Meanwhile, he scored just 166 runs from nine innings. Shakib’s highest score in this season is only 35. A strike rate of 117.73 is very low for a player of Shakib’s caliber. Shakib was a steal for SRH in the 2018 player auction. SRH bought the Bangladeshi all-rounder for mere INR 2 crores. Though Shakib is impressive with the ball, his batting form is a concern for SRH.

Since Manish Pandey is struggling for form, it is time for the Bangladesh skipper to step up and shoulder the middle-order responsibility. It is not something new for Shakib since he is doing this for his national team for many years.

#1 Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan needs to pick more wickets for SRH to perform well in the playoffs

Rashid Khan became the first Afghanistan player to play in an IPL match last year. He finished the 2017 edition as the sixth highest wicket-taker with 17 wickets from 14 games. Impressed by his exploits, SRH retained his service for a massive sum of INR 9 crores.

Rashid continued his excellent form at the beginning of this year edition. He picked up nine wickets in the first half of the tournament. However, the leggie took only four wickets in the last five games. Though Rashid’s overall economy rate in this season is just 7.20, he is currently struggling to pick wickets regularly. In particular, he went wicket-less in the last two games. These numbers can be perfect for a spinner. But for a player like Rashid, it is slightly below his standards.

Rashid is the go-to man for Kane whenever the team is in need of quick wickets. Therefore, it is time for Rashid to find his lost touch once again. Rashid’s form will be crucial for SRH ahead of the playoffs.