IPL Auction 2019 strategy: Sunrisers Hyderabad

The explosive Kiwi batsman will be a great addition alongside Warner
The explosive Kiwi batsman will be a great addition alongside Warner

Sunrisers Hyderabad have been one of the most consistent teams in the past three seasons in the IPL getting to the playoffs all three times while making it to the finals on two of those occasions.

They were crowned champions in the 2016 season after they beat the Royal Challengers Bangalore but were beaten comfortably in the 2018 final by the Chennai Super Kings.

SRH have known to be the masters of the IPL auction as they have always come out of the auction room with some gems like Mustafizur Rahman, Rashid Khan and Kane Williamson to name a few.

Going into this year's auction, there are still some areas to strengthen before they take the field for the 2019 IPL season, here are a few areas they need players to increase chances of an IPL title.


#1 Experienced opening batsman

With Shikhar Dhawan traded to the Delhi Capitals and Alex Hales released before the auction, Shreevats Goswami is the only player in the current SRH squad who has had some opening experience from last season.

Last season, Dhawan was a permanent fixture at the top while the other opening spot was a game of musical chairs between Wriddhiman Saha, Alex Hales and Shreevats Goswami as neither of them was able to cement a spot at the top.

Explosive opener and batting mainstay David Warner returns from his ban this season and will slot back into his regular opening spot but SRH need someone experienced at the other end too after Dhawan's trade.

Sunrisers are a top-heavy team and hence having an experienced hand at the top of the innings is a must. Players like Brendon McCullum, Jason Roy who are experienced T20 campaigners and have played in the IPL can be picked or players like Mohammad Shehzad who performed exceptionally in the T10 league can also be brought into consideration.

#2 Wicketkeeper

Mohammed Shahzad(77)
Mohammed Shahzad(77)

Shreevats Goswami is the only recognized wicketkeeper in the current squad after the release of injury-plagued Wriddhiman Saha. IPL is a long tournament and has its fair share of injury problems along the way, hence a backup for every position is a must have.

Wriddhiman Saha underwhelmed last season scoring 122 runs at an average of 15.25 in 11 matches, too low production for a guy who is being paid Rs 5 crore per season for his services. Shreevats Goswami is a solid player who was elected the then 'best Under-19 player' in 2008 IPL season but still lacks big game experience.

Mohammed Shahzad can provide both top-order stability and safe wicketkeeping option, on the Indian front SRH can bid for either of Naman Ojha or Wriddhiman Saha, both who have plyed their trade for Sunrisers in the past.

#3 Finisher/Hard-hitting all-rounder

Shimron Hetmyer
Shimron Hetmyer

This is one skill that SRH have failed to bring out of the players they have picked over the past few auctions. Thisara Perera, Ravi Bopara, Ben Cutting and more recently, Yusuf Pathan and Carlos Brathwaite, are few names that they have signed over the past few seasons for the role of a finisher but alas most of them failed to execute that role on a regular basis.

SRH aggressively bid for Australian hard-hitting all-rounder Glenn Maxwell in the 2018 IPL auction before settling for an ageing Yusuf Pathan and a spin-resistant Carlos Brathwaite. Yusuf and Brathwaite did win a couple of matches on their own with their hitting ability but on more occasions than not failed to fire.

Being a top-heavy team SRH has always set up a good score by the 16th over mark but failed finishing efforts have led to them posting sub-par scores on multiple occasions.

SRH did acquire Vijay Shankar and Abhishek Sharma from their trade with the Delhi Capitals but while the latter is still learning the ropes at just 18 years of age, the former still has to show consistency at the big stage.

West Indian batsman Shimron Hetmyer, who wowed Indian crowds with his big hitting ability against India in the recent ODI series with a strike rate of 140, is a strong candidate for SRH. Another West Indian all-rounder Fabian Allen is also a strong contender after his performance in the CPL. Axar Patel and Sarfaraz Khan are also tantalizing options.

#4 Quality Indian middle-order batsman:

Manoj Tiwary
Manoj Tiwary

SRH boast by far most talented group of Indian bowlers among all teams in the IPL but it isn't quite the same story when it comes to their batsmen. Their current crop of Indian middle order batsmen are Manish Pandey, Ricky Bhui, Deepak Hooda, Yusuf Pathan, Abhishek Sharma and Vijay Shankar, not a lineup you would love to boast about.

Manish Pandey was acquired in the 2018 IPL draft for hefty sum of Rs 11 Crore and was expected to shore the burden of a weak middle order but alas he failed to match his lofty price tag scoring just 284 runs in 15 matches at a paltry average of 25.81, SRH will expect him to do better this time around.

The explosive duo Deepak Hooda and Yusuf Pathan were expected to finish off the innings after a good start or take on the role of stabilizing the innings in case of an early collapse and then fire away but alas apart from a couple of matches both of them were failures in their own right.

Experienced campaigners Manoj Tiwary, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Saurabh Tiwary and Yuvraj Singh can be good buys while young guns like Milind Kumar and Shivam Dubey who have performed well in the Ranji Trophy can also be taken into consideration.

Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download Cric Rocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more!

Quick Links

Edited by Vineet Aiyer