IPL 2018: 7 points defining Sunrisers Hyderabad as the favorites to win the title

Sunrisers Hyderabad Squad: Kane Williamson (c), Alex Hales, Shikhar Dhawan, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Manish Pandey, Shakib Al Hasan, Deepak Hooda, Yusuf Pathan, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Billy Stanlake, Siddharth Kaul, Mohammad Nabi, Carlos Brathwaite, Chris Jordan, Sachin Baby, Bipul Sharma, Basil Thampi, Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, T Natarajan, Tanmay Agarwal, Ricky Bhui, Sreevats Goswami (wk), Syed Mehedi Hasan

Indian Premier League is an annual T20 extravaganza where eight teams participate to win the coveted title. Every year, different predictions fly around about the potential champions of the season, which might or might not turn into a reality. The teams are usually judged based on their batting power, bowling unit, all-rounders & the capable bench alternatives.

Here is the analysis of why SRH can be regarded as the firm favorites to clinch their second IPL trophy in 2018 edition.

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#1 Classy opening pair

Both the batsmen are at the peak of their careers

The newly appointed skipper Kane Williamson is expected to take the opener's role alongside Shikhar Dhawan. This means Sunrisers Hyderabad now have two classy openers, one to take the charge on and other who can guide the innings, making up a right-hand left-hand combination at the top.

Added responsibility on the shoulder's of Kane Williamson might bring the best out of him, who is a highly underrated T20 batsman. On the other hand, Gabbar would love to extend his golden run with the bat in the cash-rich league.

#2 Revamped middle-order

They got a boost in the middle-order

Middle-order is the aspect where SRH struggled for long in the past as they heavily relied on their openers David Warner & Shikhar Dhawan with overseas option Kane Williamson mostly on the bench. After a successful 2018 player auction, SRH uplifted their middle-order with a solid inclusion of Manish Pandey, Shakib Al Hasan & even Wriddhiman Saha for that matter.

Manish Pandey is the first Indian to hit an IPL century and majorly remembered for his match-winning knock for Kolkata Knight Riders in the finals against Kings XI Punjab in 2014. The 28-year-old was roped-in by Sunrisers Hyderabad for ₹11 crores.

The very under-rated Shakib has been a bargain buy for ₹ 2 crores while Wriddhiman Saha was a desperate choice whose bid got stretched to a whopping ₹ 5 crores, getting the better of MI and KKR in the battle.

SRH looks threatening with the addition of these stars to follow their opening southpaws.

#3 Established power-hitters

SRH now has both, the Indian & overseas options

Yusuf Pathan is a much-needed addition to the SRH setup, especially providing a cushion to their long-term investment, Deepak Hooda. They always lacked the firepower towards the end of their innings with Naman Ojha, Yuvraj Singh, Ben Cutting and others disappointing more often than not.

In addition to that, they even have Carlos Brathwaite & Mohammad Nabi who can come in and add salt to the wounds of the opposition. The struggle for acceleration in the past got transformed into a luxury for the Warner-led side.

#4 Match-winning all-rounders

Addition of genuine all-rounders will ease up the skipper Williamson

Earlier, SRH banked upon Moises Henriques to provide balance to their side for the chunk of their IPL journey, who delivered only in patches.

Poaching Shakib Al Hasan, who has achieved the top rank in all the formats of the game at the international level, SRH has powered-up their arsenal with a player who is expected to be an integral part of their setup.

In addition to that, having a seam-bowling all-rounder option in Carlos Brathwaite will help the one-time champions to adapt to the varying conditions in the away games. Mohammad Nabi & Chris Jordan further expands the alternatives that SRH possess.

#5 Quality spinners

Lack of Indian specialist spinners won't hurt SRH

Rashid Khan was the mainstay of his side in the last season, who picked up 17 wickets at a miser economy rate of 6.62. Heading into the 2018 season, SRH managed to form an effective spin-duo which they lacked, by the inclusion of Shakib Al Hasan in the composition.

The Asian spin-combo, both of which are economical, can help SRH control the game in the middle overs. Bipul Sharma is an Indian option, who is a capable lower-order batsman as well.

Furthermore, they have more than capable part-time options like Yusuf Pathan, Mohammad Nabi & Deepak Hooda, who can be utilized against the left-handers, the strategy practiced by a majority of the modern-day captains.

#6 Lethal pace-attack

Bhuvi won the purple cap in the last two seasons

This one is a no-brainer, as Sunrisers are hailed for their pace-attack in the IPL, who dragged them over the line on multiple occasions in low scoring battles.

The charge headed by Bhuvneshwar Kumar has the quality & variety of Indian mix in Siddharth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma, Basil Thampi, T Natarajan, & Khaleel Ahmed. The long list is extended by foreign names like pacey Billy Stanlake & Chris Jordan.

SRH have never struggled with the ball in the past & will continue to be a nightmare for the opposition batsmen.

#7 Massive bench-strength

SRH have the strongest bench ahead of the 2018 season

SRH, probably, is the only team who can give rise to a competitive second-eleven which can win them IPL matches.

Fortunately or unfortunately, they have match winners like Alex Hales, Mohammad Nabi, Chris Jordan, Sandeep Sharma, Basil Thampi, Carlos Brathwaite, who will most likely sit on the sidelines in bulk of the tournament.

Having big names on the bench is a blessing in disguise which can assist the team in a long series if the undesirable happens.