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The SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) lock horns with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Match 3 of IPL 2024) at the Eden Gardens on Saturday, March 23.
The Orange Army finished dead-last in the standings last year but come into the tournament with an improved roster. Pat Cummins has replaced Aiden Markram at the helm, with other notable signings like Wanindu Hasaranga and Travis Head.
There are plenty of bowling options and batters at SRH's disposal, so they can field any combination of players. Which one could they start out with?
SRH's squad for IPL 2024: Aiden Markram, Abdul Samad, Rahul Tripathi, Glenn Phillips, Heinrich Klaasen, Mayank Agarwal, Anmolpreet Singh, Upendra Yadav, Nitish Reddy, Shahbaz Ahmed, Abhishek Sharma, Marco Jansen, Washington Sundar, Sanvir Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mayank Markande, Umran Malik, T Natarajan, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Travis Head, Wanindu Hasaranga, Pat Cummins (c), Jaydev Unadkat, Akash Singh, Jhathavedh Subramanyan
Here is SRH's predicted playing XII (including one impact sub) for their IPL 2024 clash against KKR:
Openers: Travis Head and Mayank Agarwal
Travis Head might not exactly fit in SRH's ideal side since they already have quite a few opening options, but he was signed for good money at the IPL 2024 auction and is a match winner on his day.
Abhishek Sharma is another option, but Head could be partnered by right-hander in the form of Mayank Agarwal instead. Mayank hasn't been in great form over the last few IPL seasons and needs a revival.
Middle Order: Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy
Abhishek and Rahul Tripathi could alternate at Nos. 3 and 4 depending on which opener is dismissed. The former is in sizzling form at the moment and needs to face as many balls as possible.
Aiden Markram is no longer the captain, but there's plenty of value he can add to the side. His presence, along with Head's, could prevent Marco Jansen and Wanindu Hasaranga from being part of the side against KKR. However, Jansen landed in Kolkata only recently, and Hasaranga isn't available either, so that could work out well.
Heinrich Klaasen will don the gloves for SRH in IPL 2024. Accompanying him could be Nitish Kumar Reddy, who has been in excellent batting form lately and presents a handy pace-bowling option. He could be picked ahead of Abdul Samad.
Lower Order: Washington Sundar, Pat Cummins (c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Mayank Markande
Captain Pat Cummins and senior statesman Bhuvneshwar Kumar will lead SRH's pace attack in IPL 2024. They need some death bowling, which T Natarajan could provide.
Mayank Markande will be their frontline leg-spinner for now, at least until Hasaranga's return gives Hyderabad something to think about. He could pip Umran Malik to a spot in the side given the venue, which is expected to assist spin.
Washington Sundar could bridge the gap between the two departments in the lower-middle order. He will be tasked with bowling at KKR's left-handers and keeping things tight in the powerplay.
SRH's predicted playing XII (inc. impact sub): Travis Head, Mayank Agarwal, Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Pat Cummins (c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Mayank Markande
Other impact sub candidates: Abdul Samad, Umran Malik, Sanvir Singh, Jaydev Unadkat, Anmolpreet Singh.
