5 players Sunrisers Hyderabad should retain in IPL 2018

Ahead of the 11th edition of the Indian Premier League, the BCCI has released the guidelines for the auction and the much-awaited retention policy for the participating teams.

The IPL auction for the next edition is going to be more exciting than ever as most of the star players will be back in the auction pool. The deadline for submitting the retention list for all the 8 participating teams is January 4th. The auction, a two-day affair, will be held on January 27 and 28 in Bangalore.

IPL 2017 was another successful season for the Sunrisers Hyderabad as they finished third in the points table. It was unfortunate on their part to miss the Qualifier berth when rain played the spoilsport in their defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders in the Eliminator.

As every other season, David Warner led from the front both as a batsman and as a captain. Also, Indian pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar led the Hyderabad bowling attack. Both the orange cap and the purple cap were won by the respective Sunrisers players.

Carrying on their successful run in the tournament and learning from their past seasons, the team will look forward to winning the IPL title for the second time.

Here are five players that Sunrisers Hyderabad is likely to retain.

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#1 David Warner

David Warner

Retention Mode: Pre-Auction Retention

David Warner has been the pillar of the Hyderabad based franchise since he was bought by the team in 2014. Apart from leading from the front as a captain, he has scored tons of runs for the team and fired on the top, giving SRH an accelerated start in almost every inning. A hard-hitter of the ball, Warner blows away the opposition on his day.

He is one of the few players in the elite club of players who has scored more than 7000 T20 runs. In the four seasons that he has played for SRH, Warner has scored more than 500 runs in each of them.

In the IPL, he has a terrific track record as a batsman, having scored 4014 runs at an average of 40.54 per match. His strike rate of 142.13 is one of the best among players who have played more than 100 matches in the IPL.

David Warner is also the highest run scorer among foreign batsmen and fifth on the list that includes Indian players. He played a prominent role in SRH title win in the 2016 edition in which he scored 848 runs in 17 matches that included 9 half-centuries.

#2 Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Retention Mode: Pre-Auction Retention

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is another important player of the Sunrisers team. Fetching crucial breakthroughs at right moments of the game, he is the strike bowler of the Hyderabad team. Kumar has been leading the pace attack of the Indian cricket team for a while now and has been quite successful in bringing the experience from the international level to the Sunrisers' camp.

Kumar has taken more than 20 wickets in every season that he has played for them. Also, playing for SRH he has won 2 purple caps, the most in the IPL for any bowler. Only Dwayne Bravo has an equal number of purple caps to his name. He is the only first player to win it back to back in two consecutive seasons, having won it in 2016 and 2017 editions of the league.

In the 90 matches that he has played in the IPL, he has taken 111 wickets at an impressive economy of 7.08. His performance makes him one of the most valuable players in the IPL and confirms his retention along with David Warner.

#3 Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan

Retention Mode: Pre-Auction Retention

Shikhar Dhawan has been another find of the tournament who went on to represent India at the highest level. An impressive performance in the 2012 edition of the IPL, where he scored 569 runs in 15 matches earned him a call-up to the Indian cricket team.

Since, then there is no turning back for him as he has cemented his place as an opener in the Test, ODI and T20 squads. He has been consistent with the bat delivering match-winning performances in the IPL as well as on the international level.

Dhawan’s powerful hitting at the top along with David Warner has been crucial for SRH for getting head starts. The duo forms one of the most promising opening pairs in the IPL and has even been rated one of the best in the T20 format. His track record in IPL is quite impressive having scored 3561 runs at a decent average of 32.66.

He was one of the key players in the SRH title win in the 2016 edition where he scored 501 runs in 17 matches that included 8 fifties. Also, Dhawan has been one of the greatest entertainers on the cricket field and the crowd loves him especially for his moustache twirl after taking catches.

#4 Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan

Retention Mode: Right to Match

Rashid Khan, the 19-year-old Afghanistan leg-spinner, has been one of the foreign finds of the tournament. With his ability to bowl the googly, which is hard to pick, he has troubled even the most talented batsmen not only in the IPL but also in international cricket.

The reason that he has been signed to play in the Big Bash is enough to define his capabilities. Playing for the Adelaide Strikers, he was awarded the Man of the Match award on his BBL debut where he captured two wickets for 22 runs.

After his impressive performance in the World Twenty20 2016, where he emerged as the second highest wicket-taker claiming 11 wickets in 7 matches, Rashid was bought by SRH for a whopping Rs 4 crores. He was consistent with the ball in the 2017 edition, taking 17 wickets in just 14 matches at an impressive economy of 6.62.

His economy was second best among bowlers who took more than 15 wickets. He met the expectations of the Hyderabad based franchise who would look to get him back in the Sunrisers' camp.

#5 Siddarth Kaul

Siddarth Kaul

Retention Mode: Right to Match

Siddharth Kaul had an impressive IPL season playing for SRH. He took 16 wickets in just 10 matches that he played at an average of 18.75. His performance was often overshadowed by pace spearhead Bhuvneshwar Kumar who always stole the show. On the back of his impactful performance in the IPL, he received his maiden ODI call-up this year but is yet to make his debut in international cricket

Earlier in this year's edition of the IPL, he gave away 11 runs to MS Dhoni in the last over in a nail-biting match between SRH and Rising Pune Supergiants. After the match, Dhoni came to Siddarth and said, "Acha ball kar raha hai tu. Pace bhi bhadd gaya hai tera, aur yorkers bhi ache jaa rahe hain. Aise hee sharp ball rakh" (You have been bowling well. The pace has increased and your yorkers are also accurate. Keep bowling sharply like this). This praise from the former Indian captain shows the talent Kaul possess.

Though he has an average record in the IPL, SRH may look to get him back through Right to Match if he comes on a budget.