IPL 2020 Auction: 3 areas of concern for SRH and who they should target

IPL 2016 champions Sunrisers Hyderabad have opted to let go of just five players ahead of the upcoming IPL 2020 player auctions and have hardly any gaps in their squad. With quality foreign players in the squad such as David Warner, Jonny Bairstow and Kane Williamson in the side, SRH could be expected to make only a few bids.

With Shakib Al Hasan banned from playing competitive cricket for a minimum period of one year, the Bangladesh all-rounder was one of the players released by SRH apart from Yusuf Pathan, Deepak Hooda, New Zealand opening batsman Martin Guptill, and Ricky Bhui.

SRH have a total purse of ₹17 Crore to spend with 7 slots to fill, and in this article, we have a look at three areas they might look to target and the players they could look to sign.

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#3 Backup spinners

Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi have made a big mark in world cricket by spinning webs around the best of batsman across multiple global tournaments, but with SRH boasting of quality foreign players in Warner, Williamson and Bairstow among others, it is unlikely that SRH will play both Rashid and Nabi in a single game.

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While they do have Shahbaz Nadeem and Abhishek Sharma's left-arm spin for some control in the middle overs, the former was slightly expensive in his limited appearances last season and owing to this, SRH might look at another option at the auction.

Leg-spinners are always a potent weapon in any bowling unit and for this reason, Piyush Chawla could be a good option, while the untried Ravi Bishnoi could land his maiden IPL contract.

Given that SRH do not need to focus on foreign spinners, the Indian tweakers could be expected to be hot property, and a few could also end up featuring for the Hyderabad-based franchise.

#2 Backup openers

Will Alex Hales return to SRH?

SRH have two of the most explosive opening batsmen in David Warner and Jonny Bairstow in the side, and the duo made quite an impression last season for the side. While these two quality players pick themselves in the side, there is always a cause for concern in times of injury or if either player has to miss out owing to several reasons.

Martin Guptill was a part of SRH as a backup opener last season, but with his release, SRH now do not have someone who can open the batting in the absence of Warner or Bairstow. While Saha has opened in the past, he might not be a perfect replacement at the top and hence the think-tank could look for an opening batsman from the auctions.

Yashasvi Jaiswal's recent pyrotechnics could make him a good option on the local talent front, while the foreign options are aplenty with Alex Hales, Aaron Finch, and even Tom Banton some of the few big names available for SRH to choose from.

#3 Backup foreign pacer or pace bowling all-rounder

Moises Henriques could be a vital addition

The Sunrisers Hyderabad have a rich battery of pace bowlers with Bhuvneshwar Kumar leading the unit comprised of Sandeep Sharma, Siddharth Kaul, Basil Thampi, Khaleel Ahmed and T Natarajan.

However, their lone foreign pacer is Australia's Billy Stanlake, who did not get a single game last season, and SRH will want to invest on a quality bowler who can take up the mantle of lead bowler incase Bhuvneshwar Kumar fails to make too much of an impact.

With quite a lot of flavour in the SRH think-tank with Muttiah Muralitharan and Brad Haddin partnering VVS Laxman, expect the Sunrisers to sign a couple of exciting names.

Chris Woakes is one seam bowling all-rounder who could add value to the SRH setup, with his ability to bowl in the death and produce the big hits. Haddin's time with the Sydney Sixers could also see him look to rope in veteran all-rounder Moises Henriques.