IPL 2019: Ideal XI which Sunrisers Hyderabad should aim for after the Auction

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) has been one of the best teams in the Indian Premier League in recent times. They won the title in 2016, reached playoffs in 2017 and finished as runner-up in 2018. They are one of the sides who have concentrated on their bowling and that has brought them success.

SRH has had an interesting trading season with Shikhar Dhawan being replaced by Vijay Shankar, Abhishek Sharma, and Shahbaz Nadeem. They have also let go of certain players like Wriddhiman Saha and Carlos Brathwaite.

As a result, a few vacancies have opened up in the squad. However, SRH has retained a core set of players which can form a good squad. They would mainly need additional backups in the team.

On that note, here's a well-balanced XI which Sunrisers Hyderabad should aim to play during the 2019 IPL. While the core is already with them, buying a few other players should help them continue their impressive performances.

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#4 Openers - David Warner and Naman Ojha

David Warner has been retained by SRH for the upcoming season and his comeback is highly anticipated. There is no clue about the form he is in and hence SRH may have to tackle tricky issues at the top. Hence, it would be wise if they buy suitable backups for him. Plenty of options such as Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill are up for grabs.

SRH need a wicket-keeper and they have Sreevats Goswami in their squad. He is a left-hander and can be more suitable in the anchor role. However, Williamson will automatically fit the anchor role and hence they could go for Naman Ojha at the top. He is available in the upcoming auction and a left-right combination at the top would be better.

SRH can also try something different at the top by trying either of Yusuf Pathan or Rashid Khan along with Warner.

#3 Middle-Order - Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, and Yusuf Pathan

Manish Pandey will have to justify his price tag next season

SRH have been troubled by their inconsistency in the middle-order. It has looked good on paper but has found it difficult to execute their plans on the field.

Kane Williamson is the automatic choice at number three and he is likely to continue as the skipper in the upcoming season too. A lot of would rest on Manish Pandey's shoulders next season. He has been trusted again by the management and hence will have to justify his price tag in 2019.

Yusuf Pathan is experienced in this format and he will have suitable replacements in Deepak Hooda and young Abhishek Sharma if needed.

#2 All-rounders - Shakib Al Hasan and Vijay Shankar

Vijay Shankar

Shakib Al Hasan is one of the best all-rounders in at the moment and the Bangladesh star will render balance to the team. He might play higher than Yusuf and double-up as the second best spinner in the team after Rashid Khan.

Vijay Shankar was good with SRH in previous seasons and he has come back from Delhi to don the orange jersey again. He is a reliable batsman and can offer a few handy overs of seam bowling too.

SRH should keep Shakib's World Cup commitments in mind and should plan for replacements. Mohammad Nabi is available but a player like Dan Christian or Sam Curran would be better to have in the lineup.

#1 Bowlers - Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul and Khaleel Ahmed

SRH have a potent bowling attack

Sunrisers Hyderabad have probably got the best players in the IPL at number eight and number nine. At these positions, both Rashid Khan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are decent batsmen aside from being quality bowlers too.

Rashid Khan is leading all-rounder in the T20 format and SRH could use more of his batting skills by using him up the order. Bhuvneshwar's availability might be a concern as India chalk up their World Cup plans. However, SRH have got a good replacement in Sandeep Sharma.

Siddarth Kaul graduated to the Indian team due to his performances with SRH. He is a good death bowler and can strangle the batsman in the middle-overs too. The upcoming season will be critical for his national career too.

Khaleel Ahmed got very few games last season but is an Indian team player now. He will be a regular starter next season and his performances will be keenly watched by the national selectors too as the World Cup looms after the IPL.