One of the teams which goes about the business in a very low profile would be the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Though the team has some big International names in their line-up and go about reaching the play-offs more than the word often, the team has somehow managed to stay in obscurity.
They were also crowned the champions in 2016 after defeating Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final. Sunrisers also made it to the finals of 2018, where they lost to Chennai Super kings. It's no doubt that the team will try to better that performance time around and bag the gold especially with the likes of David Warner, Rashid Khan and Kane Willamson.
The franchise already has a well established team and did not have much of work in the auctions as they the most expensive purchase made was of Mitchell Marsh costing 2 crores.
Sunrisers Hyderabad Squad:
David Warner (C), Jonny Bairstow, Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Virat Singh, Priyam Garg, Mitchell Marsh, Vijay Shankar, Mohammad Nabi, Wriddhiman Saha, Shreevats Goswami, Abdul Samad, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Sandeep Sharma, Siddharth Kaul, T Natarajan, Basil Thampi, Billy Stanlake, Rashid Khan, Fabian Allen, Abhishek Sharma, Shahbaz Nadeem, Sanjay Yadav, Bavanaka Sandeep
SRH Probable Playing Xl:
Openers (David Warner and Jonny Bairstow)
David Warner is set to lead the SRH side and also open the innings for the team. The 33-year old has been magnificent for the SRH both in terms of batting and captaincy. Though his recent form is a bit of a concern as he was seen struggling to get going in the series against England. SRH will be hoping the hard-hitter gets back to form and given the fact he has scored over 500 runs in every season he played SRH combined with the foreign player with the most number of runs in the league makes him one of the most wanted players.
He is likely to be joined by his opposition opener Jonny Bairstow. The 30-year old is in the form of his life and SRH will be hoping he can continue the elite form. Given the form of Bairstow it would be very difficult to sit him out for Kane Williamson. Though Mohammad Nabi is likely to claim the No.6 spot as the genuine all-rounder, he might have to make way for Kane Williamson for a few matches.
Middle- Order (Manish Pandey, Virat Singh and Wriddhiman Saha)
The 31-year old Manish Pandey is one of the highly experienced players in the line-up. He is sure to claim the No.3 spot given his ability to rotate the strike and anchor the innings. The Right-hander had a mediocre season last year scoring 344 runs in the 12 matches and given his standards and potential he will surely look to do much better this time around.
He is likely to be accompanied by the young sensation Virat Singh. The 22- year old has been making the headlines for a while for his outstanding performance at the domestic level and was recently seen scoring runs at an average of 57 at the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy. He is also a very good striker of the ball who can consistently pace his innings at 150.
The Wicket-Keeper Batsman Wriddhiman Saha is another player who has had an in and out career with the National team. There is no doubt he is extremely talented and he could be considered one of the unfortunate players who did not get the right opportunities. Though SRH would not make the mistake of not utilizing the service of him and is likely to claim the No.5 spot while also doing the job behind the stumps for the team.
All- Rounders (Vijay Shankar and Mohammad Nabi)
The franchise has the two very good batting all-rounders in the form of Vijay Shankar and Mohammad Nabi. The 29-year old Shankar will definitely be looking to create an impact as he was dropped from the National side recently.
Mohammad Nabi is considered one of the greatest all-rounders in the Afghanistan team and he is only one of three players to play the tournament. The veteran has been consistent with both the bat and ball in the recently concluded Caribbean Premier League and given that form he is likely to grab the crucial No.7 spot for SRH.
Mitchell Marsh would be another strong contender for the No.7 spot but given the recent form of Nabi and his experience in the UAE pitch and conditions. He is likely to make it into the line-up.
Bowlers(Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddharth Kaul and Shahbaz Nadeem/Khaleel Ahmed)
SRH have always boasted of having one of the strongest bowling units in the league and they have several occasions proved it right by defending scorers which seem impossible to. Rashid Khan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have been their biggest strength. Rashid Khan is well known for containing the batsman and does with excellent consistency, he also has the best economy rate for a bowler in IPL.
His fellow teammate Kumar on the other side does a very good job in picking up the wickets. He is the only Indian to win the purple cap on two occasions. The duo also bring about a lot of variations which make it very tough for the opposition team.
Siddharth Kaul and Shahbaz Nadeem too have done a great job in the IPL. Kaul has provided the well needed support for Kumar and will look forward to replicating the same. He is likely to take the No.10 spot. While the management will have to choose between Khaleel Ahmed and Shahbaz Ahmed as both the players are relatively experienced and know their whereabouts well.
Given that the conditions in UAE favor the spinners, SRH is likely to go with Shahbaz Nadeem. Moreover, Khaleel Ahmed has been on the expensive side while bowling in the last few matches and for this reason Nadeem may be shown the green light.
Cover Credits: IPLT20
