After a switch-up in personnel failed to equate to results in the 2022 Indian Premier League, Sunrisers have been busy again in changing up their squad. It was always likely to be a tricky time for the men in orange last season after losing key men in David Warner and Rashid Khan, with the former released and the latter heading to eventual champions Gujarat Titans.
The Hyderabad-based side will hope to be buoyed by the performances of their namesakes and sister franchise Sunrisers Eastern Cape, who won the inaugural SA20. Aidan Markram, who captained the side to the maiden title, will be a key member of Sunrisers Hyderabad this season.
Sunrisers Hyderabad IPL 2022 performance
Despite often fielding a similar XI, Sunrisers could not get the balance quite right and ended up in eighth place in the league standings. There were a number of good contributions from the batters, but it often felt that after some good starts the middle to lower order were unable to kick on.
It also did not help that skipper Kane Williamson had a poor season, scoring just 216 runs in 13 innings and failing to strike at even a run a ball. Instead, Rahul Tripathi and Abhishek Sharma often set the tone at the top of the innings, with both scoring over 400 in the season.
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| Abhishek Sharma was top scorer for SRH in IPL 2022 while Aiden Markram will continue to be a key performer for the Sunrisers heading into IPL 2023 [CREDIT: IPLT20] |
Then it was down to Markram and Nicholas Pooran to consolidate and accelerate through the middle overs, with both scoring over 300 runs at a good pace. That was all too often the case, with only Washington Sundar managing to scrape over 100 runs for the season in terms of the rest, though he did miss five matches.
Umran Malik was the bright spark in the bowling department, with his scorching pace picking up 22 wickets. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the most economical of the bowlers and picked up 12 wickets himself, while fellow pacer T Natarajan snared 18 but at a fairly hefty economy rate. Indeed, those three were the only three to bowl in nine or more matches.
What squad changes have Sunrisers Hyderabad made via the IPL auction?
Again, the Sunrisers made a host of changes to their squad, even prior to the auction. They released a number of big-name players including Pooran and Williamson, as well as IPL stalwarts Shreyas Gopal and Jagadeesha Suchith and domestic talents Priyam Garg and Shashank Singh.
That meant that SRH had by far the fewest amount of players and by far the biggest salary cap remaining heading into the 2023 IPL auction. Their biggest signing was that of England's latest superstar Harry Brook, who Sunrisers clinched at around £1.3 million. They also picked up arguably the highest-profile Indian talent in former Punjab Kings captain Mayank Agarwal.
Embed from Getty ImagesSunrisers also added another South African to their ranks as the in-form Heinrich Klaasen joined, along with canny overseas spinners Adil Rashid and Akeal Hosein. Previous IPL domestic talents Anmolpreet Singh and Mayank Markande were picked up cheaply, while a reasonable chunk of the budget was spent on all-rounders Mayank Dagar and Vivrant Sharma.
How is the squad shaping up ahead of the start of IPL 2023?
Potential starting XI: Abhishek Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Harry Brook, Heinrich Klaasen, Marco Jansen, Washington Sundar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umran Malik, T Natarjan
It looks to be a tricky task trying to predict the sort of XI that the Sunrisers will put out as their strongest, given their impressive strength in depth. An Indian top three of Abhishek, Agarwal and Tripathi should be fairly nailed on, as should the inclusions of overseas pair Markram and Brook. Klaasen has been in sensational form both internationally and in the SA20 and offers a keeping option; Glenn Phillips is probably his direct rival for a place.
Embed from Getty ImagesMarco Jansen may offer a stronger balance with bat and ball over the likes of Farooqi or Rashid. Afghanistan international Farooqi has looked immense in recent outings in the Pakistan Super League and on the international stage, but he offers a very similar profile to Natarajan. Kartik Tyagi is a strong alternative which could give Farooqi a route into the team.
Rashid is a world-class known quantity and will likely see game-time in certain conditions, while Akeal Hosein is a strong depth option. Vivrant and Abdul Samad are two very talented young Indian players who could well have a strong chance of making the Sunrisers team on occasion. Sundar, Bhuvneshwar and Umran are all likely to be mainstays of the XI if fit.
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