IPL 2019: 3 areas SRH need to strengthen during the auction

Sunrisers are one of the successful teams in the Indian Premier League for the past few seasons. Led by David Warner, Sunrisers Hyderabad lifted the title in 2016 and finished runners-up in 2018 under Williamson's leadership. They have easily the best bowling unit in IPL with the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Billy Stanlake, Shakib Al Hasan, and many other talented bowlers.

Even without their star batsman and captain, David Warner, Sunrisers finished on top in the group stage and even reached the final last season. Kane Williamson and Shikhar Dhawan did the bulk of the scoring and their bowlers were economical as usual. However, Manish Pandey’s failure has exposed them and Yousuf Pathan too was hugely inconsistent.

Coming into the new season, Sunrisers Hyderabad already lost Shikhar Dhawan to Delhi Daredevils. They will have to sign a replacement before the trade window closes or in the auction. They also have to reinforce their squad for the 2019 campaign.

On that note, let’s take a look at the 3 areas SRH need to address during the 2019 IPL auction.

#3 Lack of a game changer in the middle order

Pathan has lost his mojo

One of the biggest areas of concern for Sunrisers Hyderabad last season was a lack of an impact player in the middle order. Despite brilliant batting by Shikhar Dhawan and Kane Williamson, Sunrisers Hyderabad failed to win games last season because of a fragile middle-order.

Though they had Yusuf Pathan, Manish Pandey, and Shakib Al Hasan, none of them managed to score runs on a consistent basis. Pathan scored only 260 runs while Manish Pandey scored only 284. Shakib too scored only 239 runs. Between them, they have managed to score only three fifties in the entire tournament.

Sunrisers Hyderabad certainly needs a player of Shimron Hetmyer’s calibre. They need to maintain the momentum built by their top order batsman, which they have failed to do last season. Hetmyer was brilliant in the 2018 Carribean Premier League and also for West Indies in the ongoing series against India.

#2 Wicket-keeper

Saha desperately need some runs

Though he is definitely one of the best wicket-keepers in the world, Saha’s batting in the shortest version of the game has always been under the scanner. Bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2018 auction for a massive INR 5 crores, the 34-year-old has failed to justify his huge price tag.

In his 11 games for Sunrisers Hyderabad last season, Saha has scored only 122 runs at an average of 15.25 and a strike rate of 119.60. With the highest score of only 35, he failed to make a single match-winning contribution for his team in IPL 2018.

Saha also struggled with injuries in 2018 and spent most of his time on the sidelines. Having lost Dhawan already, Sunrisers definitely need a wicket-keeper who can score some quick runs on a consistent basis. Luke Ronchi could be one of the options for Sunrisers in the auction. Jonny Bairstow is also an exciting choice.

#1 Opener slot

Dhawan left SRH for Daredevils

David Warner is expected to come back into the team for the new season. Warner missed the 2018 campaign because of the infamous ball-tampering saga, which involved him and two other Australian players, Smith and Bancroft. BCCI barred him from playing, soon after Cricket Australia slapped him with a 12-month ban. Though Williamson did an excellent job as an opener, it exposed their middle-order. Alex Hales too did not impress a lot in the six games he played.

However, Sunrisers Hyderabad will have a new headache going into the 2019 campaign. Sunrisers traded Shikhar Dhawan to Delhi Daredevils in exchange for three players - Vijay Shankar, Shahbaz Nadeem, and Abhishek Sharma. Dhawan has scored 2518 runs for Sunrisers and was one of their best batsmen.

They definitely need to buy a top order batsman to fill the void left by Dhawan’s departure. With the 2019 World Cup immediately after the IPL, Sunrisers cannot just rely on Warner, Williamson, and Hales.