2016 Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Sunrisers Hyderabad have a crucial season ahead of them after a disappointing campaign in 2021. Having faced several issues last season, SRH under Kane Williamson need to start fresh. They will be without champion performers David Warner and Rashid Khan. SRH had a decent IPL 2022 mega auction, and it remains to be seen how they execute their plans to perfection.
The big move for SRH in the auction was roping in Nicholas Pooran. SRH went heavy for Pooran and trumped other sides to land the talented West Indian cricketer. He adds the power in the middle-order. The purchase of Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, and Washington Sundar gives SRH something to feel good about. They are once again a bowling-heavy side with some loopholes in the batting.
SRH will face a stiff challenge with a lot riding on Williamson and Pooran. Here are the complete details of SRH.
The players SRH had retained
With the IPL set to be a 10-team affair, the existing teams had an opportunity to retain at least four players ahead of the auction. SRH retained Williamson for Rs 14 crore, besides Abdul Samad for Rs 4 crore and Umran Malik also for 4 crore. They went into the auction with a purse of Rs 68 crore.
Key picks for SRH in the IPL 2022 auction
Pooran had an ordinary IPL 2021, but despite that, SRH identified him as a class act and went heavy. Romario Shepherd was another massive buy. The WI all-rounder will have big shoes to fill. Getting back T Natarajan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar were ideal bets. Rahul Tripathi adds gloss and freshness. Aiden Markram can be a crucial batting all-rounder.
A look at SRH’s complete squad
Kane Williamson, Umran Malik and Abdul Samad, Washington Sundar, Nicholas Pooran, T Natarajan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Priyam Garg, Rahul Tripathi, Abhishek Sharma, Kartik Tyagi, Shreyas Gopal, Jagadeesha Suchith, Aiden Markram, Marco Jansen, Romario Shepherd, Sean Abbott, R Samarth, Shashank Singh, Saurabh Dubey, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Glenn Phillips, Vishnu Vinod
What can be SRH’s playing XI?
1) Kane Williamson: The New Zealand skipper will open the batting in all likelihood and aim to be SRH’s anchorman. He is a terrific player and a previous Orange Cap winner. If Williamson stays fit, SRH will look to get massive help from his great cricketing brain.
2) Rahul Tripathi: The versatile cricketer enjoyed his time at KKR and showed his skills in the top-order. An excellent fielder, Tripathi is one of the champion uncapped cricketers of India. He is a massive talent. The 30-year-old has 1,385 runs in the IPL. He scored 397 runs last season.
3) Aiden Markram: The Proteas player will hope to make his presence felt in the top-order and add to SRH’s strength. If Markram can get going, SRH will benefit immensely. He is a handy spin option and can bring his side the wickets. Markram played for PBKS last season.
4) Nicholas Pooran: The southpaw showed what he could do by slamming three consecutive fifties in the recently concluded T20I series versus India. The scores will give him plenty of confidence, with many doubting his skills on the sub-continent pitches given his struggles in the IPL. If Pooran is on song, SRH will be a difficult prospect.
5) Abdul Samad: SRH have a lot of expectations from Samad and showered their trust by retaining him. The last two seasons saw him score 111 runs each. He needs to be better than this and showcase why SRH are counting on him. Samad can play the big shots.
6) Romario Shepherd: The West Indian completes the foreign quota of players for SRH. He will add dynamism as an all-rounder. He can not only play the big shots but also add value with his pace bowling. He will be a player to watch out for in IPL 2022.
7) Washington Sundar: The former RCB man has a lot of pedigree. He adds value as a bowling all-rounder. Sundar can be effective with the new ball, keeping tight lengths and teasing the batters with his spin show. He has 27 IPL wickets from 42 games.
8) Abhishek Sharma: SRH bought back Abhishek, and he is another player like Samad, whom the Orange Army have a lot of trust on. He is yet to take the IPL by storm and has put in some decent shows so far. An all-rounder, Sharma gives SRH a bit of depth.
9) Bhuvneshwar Kumar: The SRH stalwart will once again aim to be decisive upfront and at the death. Bhuvi can still offer a lot and help the youngsters grow. He has been a champion IPL performer, claiming 142 wickets from 132 games.
10) Umran Malik: The J&K fast bowler made his debut towards the end of the 2021 season and showed a lot of pace. He was the fastest Indian in IPL 2021. Malik is a real upcoming talent, and he will get a chance to show his attributes from the first game itself.
11) T Natarajan: The left-arm pacer will aim to support Malik and Bhuvi. Natarajan has been a valuable player for SRH, and the side will aim to extract the maximum. Natarajan will hope to be injury-free. He has 20 IPL wickets from 24 games.