IPL 2022 Auction: 3 Indian players SRH could look to retain

The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) endured a wretched campaign in IPL 2021, finishing at the bottom of the pile for the very first time in the tournament's history. For a side that had made the IPL playoffs on five consecutive occasions leading into the 2021 season, SRH had nothing going their way in the tournament's 14th edition.

One of the major reasons behind SRH's calamitic downward spiral was down to its many batting frailties, particularly in the middle-order. That David Warner, who was a 500-run bank pretty much every season, could not get going this time around didn't help the side's cause either.

A brittle Indian batting core could not cover up for the same and thus, SRH could only muster three wins out of the 14 games in the tournament.

Ahead of the 2022 season of the IPL, the Sunrisers will be keen for a fresh start with most of their current roster set to be revamped. It would come as a massive shock should they not retain their star spinner Rashid Khan prior to the mega auction and his retention is all but written in stone from the outset.

However, with up to four retentions that include a maximum of three Indian players allowed ahead of the auction, we take a look at three such Indian players who the Sunrisers Hyderabad could look at retaining ahead of the next cycle.

#1 Abdul Samad

Abdul Samad has made heads turn with his all-round abilities (Picture Credits: Ron Gaunt/Sportzpics/IPL)

Over the last couple of seasons, the stocks of Jammu and Kashmir all-rounder Abdul Samad have risen considerably. The hard-hitting Samad was picked up for his base price of INR 20 lakh prior to the 2020 season by Sunrisers Hyderabad, having turned heads during the 2019-20 Ranji Trophy season.

While he came in with a reputation for being a spin-enforcer, Samad has looked equally at ease against pace. And not just any pace mind you, but searing wheels upwards of 145 kph as well!

Fancy the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Anrich Nortje, Pat Cummins and Kagiso Rabada, to name a few, to have been dispatched over the fence by Samad and it puts into perspective why the young lad is rated so highly by pundits.

Add his agile fielding skills and the ability to bowl leg-spin as well and he should well be a hot pick in the auction should SRH surprisingly choose not to retain him. It would be a major surprise, should they not do so.

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#2 T Natarajan

T Natarajan (center) is known to be a yorker specialist and could well be a wise retention for SRH.

Thangarasu Natarajan's rise from humble beginnings to the IPL and eventually international cricket is a story that brings a smile to one's face.

The left-arm seamer from Tamil Nadu has developed a strong reputation for firing inch-perfect yorkers at will. He was SRH's prime death-overs force with the ball during the 2020 season when Bhuvneshwar Kumar was ruled out due to an injury.

Natarajan has had a tough time since his fairytale Australian tour with the Indian side, one that saw him make his debut across all formats and with success. A knee injury followed by a subsequent surgery forced him out of the first leg of IPL 2021 and while he was set to return for the UAE leg, he tested positive for COVID-19 hours before SRH's first game of the leg.

Natarajan is now set to appear for Tamil Nadu in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy beginning next week, and will be itching to don the national colors again real soon. That said, his reputation as one of India's best left-arm seam bowling talents and a fine death-overs specialist remains intact, so a windfall at the player auction is highly likely for the 30-year old.

Keeping this in mind, SRH would do well to try and cling on to his services in the form of a retention prior to the auction.

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#3 Umran Malik

Umran Malik's velocity was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise disappointing campaign for SRH in IPL 2021 (Picture Credits: Deepak Malik/Sportzpics/IPL)

A young tearaway quick who clocks upwards of 150 kph is bound to make a viewer drop everything they are doing and watch in amazement. And by the time Umran Malik was done with his first over on IPL debut against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the internet was abuzz with the youngster's name trending like wildfire.

Malik had all of one List A game and one T20 game for Jammu and Kashmir under his belt and was plying his trade as a net bowler in the SRH ranks. However, he was drafted into their main roster as a temporary replacement for T Natarajan when the latter was isolated upon testing positive for COVID-19.

When Malik got his opportunity, he made it count with an exhilarating display of real, quick bowling. So much so that he clocked the second fastest delivery in the competition at 152.95 kph, before his impact across the three games he played for SRH earned him a call up to the Indian cricket team's net bowling contingent.

Malik has an opportunity to further restate his credentials in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy beginning next week. There is a slight catch, however, with regards to his retention by SRH, given that Malik was a temporary replacement for the team.

Whether the retention policy permits the franchise to do so or not is unclear, but should they be given the green signal, do not be surprised if SRH build their Indian bowling attack around Umran Malik for the 2022 season.