Predicting SRH’s 3 first-choice overseas players for IPL 2022 other than Kane Williamson

Former Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) purchased 20 players at the auction in Bengaluru last month. They had retained only three players - Kane Williamson (₹14 crore), Abdul Samad (₹4 crore) and Umran Malik (₹4 crore) - and went to the bidding table with a purse of ₹68 crore.

At the IPL 2022 auction, they purchased aggressive West Indies batter Nicholas Pooran for ₹10.75 crore and all-rounder Washington Sundar for ₹8.75 crore. They also picked up former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR batter) Rahul Tripathi for ₹8.5 crore and Windies all-rounder Romario Shepherd for ₹7.7 crore.

South Africa’s Aiden Markram (₹2.6 crore) and Marco Jansen (₹4.2 crore), New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips (₹1.5 crore) and Australia’s Sean Abbott (₹2.4 crore) were among their other prominent overseas buys.

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IPL 2022: SRH’s key overseas players

Each franchise can field a maximum of four overseas cricketers. Being IPL captain, Kane Williamson is more or less an automatic pick. We take a look at three other names who could be first-choice players in SRH’s playing XI during the upcoming edition.

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#1 Nicholas Pooran

West Indies batter Nicholas Pooran. Pic: Getty Images

West Indies’ T20I vice-captain Nicholas Pooran had a catastrophic IPL 2021 season. Representing Punjab Kings (PBKS), he managed a mere 85 runs in 12 matches. However, the cricket world is aware that Pooran is a highly talented batter who can be extremely destructive on his day. This is why it wasn’t a surprise that SRH spent ₹10.75 crore to purchase him.

The left-handed batter has been in excellent form in white-ball cricket of late. He scored half-centuries in each of the three T20Is during the series against India, even as the Windies were hammered 0-3. Pooran registered scores of 61, 62 and 61, giving West Indies some hope amid the gloom.

During the preceding five-match T20I series against England, he was the leading run-getter with 164 runs at an average of 41 and a strike rate of 122.38. Given his current form, he could be a vital cog in SRH’s batting line-up during the IPL 2022 season.

Click here to view the IPL Purple Cap Winners list.

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#2 Aiden Markram

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

South African batter Aiden Markram had a poor run against India at home in both the Tests and ODIs. He couldn’t contribute much in the two-match Test series against New Zealand as well. But the 27-year-old found some form, hitting 70 for Titans against the Dolphins on Sunday in South Africa’s domestic competition.

Markram has developed a reputation for being a highly dangerous hitter and could be another key figure in SRH’s batting plans. The Proteas batter’s talent was on display during the T20 World Cup last year when he smashed an unbeaten 51 off 26 against West Indies and 52* off 25 versus England. He ended the World Cup with 162 runs in five matches at a strike rate of 145.94.

The right-hander made his IPL debut for Punjab Kings (PBKS) during the second half of IPL 2021. He had a decent run, scoring 146 runs at a strike rate of 122.68 in six games with a best of 42 . Apart from his big-hitting skills, he is a decent off-spinner as well.

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#3 Romario Shepherd

West Indies all-rounder Romario Shepherd

West Indies all-rounder Romario Shepherd could be a potential X factor in SRH’s squad during IPL 2022. The 27-year-old is a handy medium-pacer who has the ability to strike the ball a long way. Considering the skills, the Hyderabad franchise were willing to shell out ₹7.75 crore for him even though he had a base price of only ₹75 lakh.

Shepherd whacked an unbeaten 44 off 28 balls in the second T20I against England in Bridgetown with the help of five sixes. In the third T20I against India as well, he displayed glimpses of his big-hitting ability, slamming three sixes in his 29-run cameo.

While Shepherd is still looking to find his groove in international cricket, he has an impressive record in T20 cricket. He has played 47 matches in the format, scoring 344 runs at a strike rate of 159.25. On the bowling front, he has claimed 55 wickets at a strike rate of 14.8. SRH will be keen to capitalize on his all-round talents in IPL 2022.