3 buys that made perfect sense for SRH at the IPL 2022 auction

Former champions Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) purchased 20 players at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 mega auction held in Bengaluru. They had retained skipper Kane Williamson (₹14 crore), Abdul Samad (₹4 crore) and Umran Malik (₹4 crore) ahead of the auction.

Hard-hitting West Indian wicketkeeper-batter Nicholas Pooran was their costliest buy. He was purchased for a sum of ₹10.75 crore. SRH also spent heavily on all-rounders, buying Washington Sundar for ₹8.75 crore, Romario Shepherd for ₹7.7 crore and the young Abhishek Sharma for ₹6.50 crore.

In the bowling department, they bought back a couple of their released players in T Natarajan (₹4 crore) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (₹4.2 crore) while adding Kartik Tyagi (₹4 crore), Shreyas Gopal (₹75 lakh), Marco Jansen (₹4.2 crore) and Sean Abbott (₹2.4 crore).

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IPL 2022 Auction: SRH’s smart picks

Let’s take a look at three players whose purchase at the recently concluded mega auction made perfect sense for SRH.

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#1 Washington Sundar

Team India all-rounder Washington Sundar. Pic: Getty Images

Having released the versatile Jason Holder, SRH were on the lookout for a quality all-rounder who could contribute significantly with both bat and ball. In that sense, Washington Sundar was a good pick.

He has the proven ability to start the innings with the ball and is a highly accurate off-spinner. After 42 IPL matches, Sundar has an excellent economy rate of 6.93. As seen during the ODI series against West Indies, he has improved his death-overs skills as well.

With the willow, the left-hander might be no match to Holder’s brute force. However, if utilized smartly, he can chip in with crucial runs for the team. Sundar is a canny customer who knows his limitations and finds a way to work around them. It is up to SRH to utilize his skills to the hilt. Of course, the franchise will be praying he remains fit considering his injury woes in recent times.

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#2 Aiden Markram

Aiden Markram during the T20 World Cup. Pic: Getty Images

With no David Warner in the batting line-up, SRH needed someone with brute force who could strike the ball a long way. South Africa’s Aiden Markram comes nowhere close to the Aussie’s big-hitting power. At the same time, he is definitely not a bad alternative. He can tonk the ball hard and while he did not have had a great series against India, Markram is a proven performer in the white-ball formats.

Of course, Hyderabad’s spin-bowling consultant Muttiah Muralitharan has revealed that Abhishek Sharma and Kane Williamson will open the innings for the franchise. But when it comes to power-hitting, they will depend heavily on Markram just as they did on Warner before.

Also, it wouldn’t be bad idea for the South African to open the innings since he has plenty of experience in that position. Those who followed his exploits at the T20 World Cup last year will not have any hesitation in admitting that Markram is a special talent.

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#3 Rahul Tripathi

Rahul Tripathi batting for KKR. Pic: IPLT20.COM

SRH have suffered a lot in recent seasons owing to over-dependence on a couple of players in the batting department. Warner and Jonny Bairstow did the bulk of the scoring for the franchise during IPL 2019, shattering batting records. Last season, Williamson almost single-handedly tried to keep the team’s batting in shape.

Hyderabad suffered miserably due to a lack of experience in the middle order. They had picked youngsters like Priyam Garg (who has been purchased again) and Virat Singh, who proved to be too raw despite their obvious talent. During the 2021 edition, they placed their faith in the experienced Kedar Jadhav, but he proved to be a spent force.

SRH seem to have got it right this time, at least on the bidding table. An aggressive and bold batter like Rahul Tripathi is exactly what the franchise needs in the middle order. He can clear the field with ease and is brilliant at finding the gaps as well.

Last year, KKR gave him a free hand to go out and take on the bowling and he responded with some attractive knocks. He also secured his place in IPL folklore with that six off Ravichandran Ashwin under nerve-wracking circumstances.