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Hyderabad, for good or bad, is the only city that can boast to have two different franchises representing it in 12-year-old IPL and won two different championships in the span. During these 12 years, these two franchises have produced some of the most memorable cricketing moments right from the start of the auction of the 2008 IPL draft, the first one ever.
The then Hyderabad Franchise, Deccan Chargers have picked up the likes of Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds, Shahid Afridi, Chaminda Vaas, RP Singh, and Rohit Sharma into their squad. Almost all of the teams threatened by looking at the squad on the paper.
But that team went 2-12 in the season to finish dead last only to win the second edition of IPL against the team that fought them in IPL 1 for the last position, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Since then, the IPL franchise has created some of the great memories, starting with 2009 win in South Africa till their disbanding, to allow a new franchise in SunRisers Hyderabad to form a new champion team from 2013.
Since the inception of IPL, both these Hyderabad teams have had star players in their squads that have had everlasting impressions in the hearts of core Hyderabadi Cricket fans.
Apart from the six players listed in this article, there are many more players who created ever lasting impressions on the city like Pragyan Ojha, Kumara Sangakkara, Amit Mishra and many more. But these players listed here have made larger impact not just for the franchise, but the city as well.
Let's dig deep into these five memorable international players that stole the hearts of the Hyderabadis.
Honourable Mention: Rohit Sharma, Deccan Chargers (2008-2010)
It is difficult put Rohit Sharma as a consolation player in this list, such has been his impact. He played such a crucial part as a member of the Deccan Chargers Squad in 2009 IPL winning squad, that turned a league-worst to the best team of the tournament in a span of one year.
His last over heroics against the then Kolkata Knight Riders' Mashrafe Mortaza will never be forgotten by any Hyderabadi fan. He not only kept the Deccan Chargers in race for the season but also played a crucial role in winning the second season of the IPL in 2009 for the city after finishing dead last in season 1 with the likes of Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds, Shahid Afridi, and Chaminda Vaas, in their primes in the squad.
Once retired, Rohit Sharma will be remembered as Mumbai Indian winning multiple IPL titles, but his rise has begun with the Deccan Chargers by winning the IPL 2009 and that will never be forgotten by either Rohit or ardent Hyderabad cricket fans. His hat-trick against his current team the Mumbai Indians in 2009 is one of the many memorable moments in IPL history.
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#5 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, SunRisers Hyderabad (2014-Present)
The Indian fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the most tenured Hyderabad player. He has played more seasons for the city than any other player. Despite having an off-time in 2019 so far, Bhuvi has had an amazing career with the SunRisers Hyderabad.
Having spent time with Royal Challengers Banglore and Pune Warriors India prior to joining the SRH squad, it is in Hyderabad he found his true calling. Thanks to a lackluster batting depth and amazing bowling coached by the Pakisatni legend, Waqar Younis SRH was very well known to defend low totals in its initial seasons.
Younis' help propelled Bhuvneshwar's bowling, it not only helped SRH in IPL but also made Bhuvi one of the mainstream bowlers for Indian cricket team.
He won the Purple Cap in two consecutive seasons in 2016 and 2017 and was named vice-captain in 2018 season. He might not be the face of the franchise as the other people in this list have been but he is the key component for the success of Sunrisers and team India since 2014.
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#4 Dale Steyn, Deccan Chargers/SunRisers Hyderabad (2011-2015)
Dale Steyn is the third most tenured Hyderabad player behind Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and David Warner, playing for both the Hyderabad franchises. He is one of the very few players who played for both the franchises and helped win games for both the teams.
Steyn, who was initially signed by RCB again just like Bhuvneshwar Kumar, was acquired by the Deccan Chargers during their 2011 infamous roster overhaul. While letting go the fan favorites in Rohit Sharma and Adam Gilchrist, the Chargers were able to sign Steyn to one of the top contracts in the league during 2011 auction.
Steyn made sure that he earned every penny of that contract by always being in the race for the Purple Cap. Steyn, not only on the field but also has created a great impact with Hyderabad fans off the field by putting out contests for the fans to win tickets before every home game.
Steyn is one of the most active players on social media and helped promote the Hyderabad franchises during IPL season thus getting him much closer to the local fanbase.
Even after leaving the franchise, Hyderabad fans will not forget the kind of impact Steyn had not just for Hyderabad IPL teams but Hyderabadis in general. That is one way to leave your legacy in people's minds forever.
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#3 Rashid Khan, SunRisers Hyderabad (2017-Present)
No wonder he made this list of the top 5 franchise players for Hyderabad. If you have to pick the top 5 players of a franchise that had Rashid Khan in their team at least for one season and you do not have him in that list, you might not have been watching cricket in recent times.
Rashid has become an international phenomenon even before he made his IPL debut with SRH in 2017. He created waves by propelling Afghanistan to international cricket scene and later played a crucial role in their entry to 2019 Cricket World Cup. He along with his then Afghan captain Mohammed Nabi was selected by the SunRisers Hyderabad thus creating the history by becoming the first Afghan players to be selected by an IPL team.
After being selected by SRH in 2017, he brought on his international success to IPL by helping SRH make playoffs in both 2017 and 2018 and even pushing them into the finals in 2018 by showcasing his batting skills in the playoff game against KKR. His 10-ball-34 helped SRH beat KKR to reach the 2018 finals.
Rashid Khan not only bowled his fans over with his googlies on the field but also won many hearts with his off the field antics. Being just 20 year old, he showed he is still very young in heart. During 2019 season so far he demonstrated his inner child by taking it on fellow young players like Rishabh Pant, who is also very well known for his off the field antics.
If there is any player in IPL that deserves a max contract like baseball star Bryce Harper, it is Rashid Khan. SRH should do every thing in its power to retain this phenom to play for them forever.
#2 Adam Gilchrist, Deccan Chargers (2008-2010)
If there ever was a tragic ending between a player and a franchise in IPL it has got to be Adam Gilchrist and the Deccan Chargers.
After drafting one of the most dominant teams during the inaugural IPL auction, Deccan Chargers were touted to be the favorites to win the title with a plethora of star players. Instead, they won just two games and ended up last in the points table. They did not win a single home game in 2008.
That prompted many changes by the management including the change in logo and team colors. But, the most important change came in the team leader. VVS Laxman who was the captain in 2008 was demoted and Gilchrist was named as the captain in 2009. That changed the fate of the franchise.
Gilly played a very key role in the success of the Deccan Chargers in 2009 season. Not only as a batsman but as a captain he helped keep the team together and win the tournament after finishing last in the previous season.
His performances not only earned him Player of the Tournament award in 2009 but also earned him fans for life in Hyderabad. He involved many fans and players together in social media during the days with a #kepke, an inside joke between the core players of Deccan Chargers.
But, as every good thing needs to come to an end, the partnership between Gilchrist and the Deccan Chargers has come to an abrupt end after the Cargers decided not the retain him after the 2010 season, which became contoversial at the time and also started the demise of one of the top franchises in the league.
Gilly, was and still is in the hearts of Hyderabad fans, his 35-ball-85 against Delhi Daredevils in 2009 semifinal wil never be forgotten.
#1 David Warner, SunRisers Hyderabad (2014-Present)
This has to be the easiest pick after all that has transpired in 2019 season. After missing out on 2018 IPL season for reasons well known, David Warner came back to the side in 2019 and has gotten a very warm welcome by the Hyderabad fans.
Warner embraced that welcome and showed why he earned that kind of respect by smashing for 692 runs in just 12 innings by almost keeping the Orange Cap at its home for the third season in four years.
Before joining SRH in 2014, Warner played a key role in the early success of Delhi Daredevils by opening alongside one of the smashing openers in Virender Sehwag. Delhi let him go during 2014 auction and SRH didn't think twice before picking him up.
Since then, Warner has been among the top run scorers in the league winning the Orange Cap twice in three years and made sure that he gets those honors for the third time in 2019 in just 12 innings before leaving to Australia for the World Cup commitments.
He not only won the hearts by his performance on the field scoring five consecutive fifties in 2019 but also his and his family's love for the city of Hyderabad has always been open. Warner treats Hyderabad as his second home and no wonder he does by the kind of support he got after a tough year he and his family had to go through.
As much as Warner helped SRH by being part of the best opening stands along side Shikhar Dhawan and Jonny Bairstow during his tenure, Hyderabad fans stood by his side during his crisis and made sure he is back with all his confidence and 2019 showed how important both the team and the player are for each other.
IPL 2019 showed it is not only to showcause your talents but it can also be used as a platform for redemption. Warner also showed his gratitude towards his faithful Hyderabad staff and fans via his social media platforms during IPL 2019.
There are many player-team relationships in IPL that bring fans flood into the stands, Warner-SRH is one of them. SRH should lock him up for as long as possible as a batsman, and maybe later as coach.
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