IPL 2021: 3 quality SRH players who might be benched for the whole season

The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have carved a niche for themselves as a franchise which consistently exceeds expectations in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Even in the last season, the Orange Army seemed down and out before going on a late winning run to reach Qualifier 2, where they fell to the Delhi Capitals.

And in their inimitable fashion, SRH made a couple of shrewd acquisitions in the 2021 auction to plug certain holes in the side. Kedar Jadhav's experience will serve SRH well, while Jagadeesha Suchith and Mujeeb Ur Rahman were also bought by the 2016 champions.

Competition for spots in the SRH playing XI was massively high last year, with a number of youngsters unable to get a consistent run of games. IPL 2021 will be no different.

SRH's squad for IPL 2021: David Warner, Kane Williamson, Virat Singh, Manish Pandey, Priyam Garg, Wriddhiman Saha, Jonny Bairstow, Sreevats Goswami, Vijay Shankar, Mitchell Marsh, Mohammad Nabi, Jason Holder, Abhishek Sharma, Abdul Samad, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, T Natarajan, Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, Siddarth Kaul, Basil Thampi, Shahbaz Nadeem, Kedar Jadhav, Jagadeesha Suchith, Mujeeb Ur Rahman

Here are 3 quality SRH players who might not get a game in IPL 2021.

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#3 Priyam Garg

Garg had his moments in IPL 2020

Although he had his moments in IPL 2020, Priyam Garg wouldn't have been satisfied with his performances. The youngster batted lower down the order and didn't get too many opportunities to make an impression, collecting just 133 runs at an average of 14.77 and a strike rate of 119.81.

In IPL 2021, Garg might fall behind many other batsmen in the pecking order. He has scores of 21, 15, 0 and 17 in his last 4 domestic games, while the likes of Virat Singh have been far more consistent in the recent past.

But Garg's place in the team isn't really under threat from Virat Singh. Vijay Shankar, Kedar Jadhav, Abdul Samad and Abhishek Sharma are the men the former U-19 skipper has to be worried about. All four offer an over or two with the ball, while the former two have a wealth of experience.

Garg might have to wait a while before he adds to his IPL fifty tally, which currently stands at one.

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#2 Mujeeb Ur Rahman

Mujeeb joins the strong Afghanistan contingent at SRH

A player who was picked near the end of the 2021 IPL auction, Mujeeb Ur Rahman joins the strong Afghanistan contingent at SRH. He forms a spin trio alongside senior countrymen Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi, but it's tough to see him play a game for SRH this year.

Mujeeb played only two games last season for the Punjab Kings, picking up zero wickets and leaking runs at an economy rate of 10.37. The mystery spinner doesn't offer much with the bat as well, and he's definitely second to the canny Nabi.

SRH have a number of domestic spin options in Shahbaz Nadeem, Samad, Abhishek and Suchith. We might see Mujeeb with a practice vest on throughout IPL 2021.

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#1 Mohammad Nabi

Mohammad Nabi is one of the best T20 all-rounders in the world

Although he's one of the best all-rounders in the world, Mohammad Nabi has been reduced to a bit-part role at SRH. He played 8 games in the 2019 season, which was his third at the franchise, and seemed set for greater things last year.

But the wickets in the UAE weren't spin-friendly, and Nabi featured in just one game before being dropped for Kane Williamson. With Jonny Bairstow in sizzling form, we might see SRH field an overseas batting trio of the Englishman, Williamson and skipper David Warner.

Shahbaz Nadeem might be given spin duties, or SRH might even opt to churn out a few overs from their part-timers. Either way, it's unlikely that Nabi plays in IPL 2020, especially with last year's star performer Jason Holder and Mitchell Marsh both being part of the squad.

Nabi would be criminally wasted on the bench, but that's just how a prestigious league like the IPL works.