IPL 2018: 5 players SRH would like to retain

Only a couple of IPL franchises voted in favour of an open auction for IPL 2018. The BCCI is yet to decide on the number of players a franchise can retain but it is expected to be 3. In that case, it will be a tough job for VVS Laxman to decide on his top 3 players.

The 2016 Champions Sunrisers Hyderabad would love to retain some players from their current squad. David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan were Hyderabad's prolific run scorers in the last 4 seasons. Yuvi was good in the middle order.

The strength of Sunrisers is their bowling unit. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was sensational over the last 2 seasons while the Afghani wonder kid Rashid Khan mesmerized opponents with his leg spin last year.

Let's have a look at the 5 players that SRH might want to retain for the next year IPL.

#1 David Warner

David Warner will be the first player in the list of three to be retained by Sunrisers Hyderabad. Their talismanic captain has scored more than 600 runs in the last edition of Indian Premier League season and one of the most consistent players in IPL. He single-handedly won them many games and one of the most devastating batsmen in world cricket right now.

David Warner's last 4 IPL stats:

2017 - 641 runs

2016 - 848 runs

2015 - 562 runs

2014 - 528 runs

David Warner led Sunrisers Hyderabad to the Indian Premier League (IPL) title in 2016. Starting off as a hard-hitting opening batsman, Warner adapted well to Indian conditions and played the captains role to perfection. He is one player in the squad no-one would like to lose.

#2 Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been the mainstay of the Sunrisers bowling attack over the last four seasons. He does the tough job of bowling in the power-play and in the death overs. He can swing the new ball prodigiously and has a brilliant yorker. He took 26 wickets in the 2016 Indian Premier League season and finished as the highest wicket-taker.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar IPL stats:

2017 - 26 wickets

2016 - 23 wickets

2015 - 18 wickets

2014 - 20 wickets

No bowler in Indian Premier League (IPL) has taken more wickets than Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the last four seasons combined. He has an economy rate of 7 which is excellent for a bowler who bowls in power play and in death.

If he goes into the auction, he could cost a fortune for any team that wishes to take him. SRH will not be likely to take that risk.

#3 Rashid Khan

The 18-year-old Afghani leg-spinner has been a revelation in the 2017 edition of Indian Premier League and the first player from Afghanistan to play in the competition.

He was an unknown commodity to many before the IPL but surprised everyone with his skill. He mesmerised most batsmen in the IPL with his variations and dismissed some of the best batsmen in the world like Rohit Sharma and Steve Smith.

He took 17 wickets in the IPL at a stunning economy rate of 6.65. He is a handy batsman and a brilliant fielder. He is just 18 and will only get better as he plays more games.

Khan is the highest wicket-taker in T20s for 2017 with 69 wickets at an economy rate of less than 6 runs per over. He is definitely not a player to lose out to opponents.

#4 Shikhar Dhawan

The left-handed batsman from Delhi is David Warner's partner in crime. He plays a perfect foil to Warner's aggression and helps steady the Sunrisers batting lineup. Dhawan's role is to play the anchor, and let the batsmen at other end play aggressively. With Yuvraj Singh and Moises Henriques in the middle order, Dhawan's role is an important one for Sunrisers Hyderabad.

He has been consistent over the last 4 Indian Premier League season for SRH scoring 300+ runs in each of the four seasons. A stylish left-hander with the ability to read the game and play accordingly. He is good against spin and has every shot in the book to be a perfect Twenty20 player.

Shikhar Dhawan's last 4 IPL stats:

2017 - 479 runs

2016 - 501 runs

2015 - 353 runs

2014 - 377 runs

#5 Mustafizur Rahman

VVV Laxman will look to retain him

The left-arm pacer from Bangladesh was one of Sunrisers key player in their title winning 2017 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign. He took 17 wickets at an economy of 6.90 to help Sunrisers win the title.

Though his 2017 campaign was ravaged by injury, Mustafizur Rahman is still one of the exciting pace bowlers right now. He has the pace and variations to trouble the best in business, equally good with the new & old ball and a death over specialist.

With Ashish Nehra retired from International Cricket and IPL, Fizz forms a key part of Sunrisers strategy and they can't afford to lose him. When fully fit, he is one of the most deadly T20 bowlers going, and we have seen that in the past.