SRH IPL 2023 preview: Having underperformed in the last two seasons, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will be eyeing a revival in the 16th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The Sunrisers are among the most consistent sides in IPL history, reaching the playoffs six out of eight times between 2013 — their debut season when they replaced Deccan Chargers as the Hyderabad franchise — and 2020.
That includes beating Royal Challengers Bangalore to win the 2016 edition under David Warner’s leadership, their only title triumph till date, and finishing runners-up under Kane Williamson’s captaincy after losing to MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings two years later.
However, the ‘Orange Army’, as they’re popularly known, have hit a roadblock of sorts of later, failing to reach the playoffs in each of the last two seasons.
SRH finished at the bottom of the eight-team table in the two-part 2021 season, with Warner not only losing his captaincy towards the end of the season due to the team’s poor run but also getting dropped due to a prolonged lean patch.
Williamson, who took over as full-time captain towards the end of the 2021 season, himself had a poor run both as captain and with the bat the following year, where SRH would once again finish eighth, but in a ten-team table.
Since the 2022 mega auction, SRH also has lost out on a number of key members of the side such as star leg-spinner Rashid Khan, who has since signed with the Gujarat Titans, as well as all-rounder Jason Holder, who has now joined the Lucknow Super Giants.
SRH, however, have made a number of key purchases in the player auction that could help plug the gaps heading into the new season.
Hyderabad, after all, have bolstered their middle-order options by breaking their bank for Harry Brook — one of the hottest properties in world cricket across formats today whom they acquired for Rs 13.25 crore. Alongside Brook, as well as Glenn Phillips and Heinrich Klaasen, the Sunrisers have some solid middle-order options.
IPL 2023 Factbox | Everything you need to know about SRH
And in an extension of their middle-order options are the spin pair of Washington Sundar (off) and Adil Rashid (leg), the latter somewhat filling the void left behind by Rashid Khan. In Sundar, they also have a handy wicket-taking option in the powerplay.
Perhaps their biggest strength would be the variety in their pace department. Express pacer Umran Malik has been setting the IPL on fire for a while now, hitting speeds in excess of 155 and blowing opposition batters away with his searing pace and is easily among the most exciting cricketers ever to have emerged from the IPL.
Malik is complemented by swing specialist Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who like Malik, has been retained by the side and also brings in his vast experience into account. There are also the left-arm options in Marco Jansen and T Natarajan, the former also having the advantage of height.
But most importantly, the Sunrisers are set to chart a new course under new captain Aiden Markram, who has already proven his leadership credulity in the 2014 U-19 World Cup as well as in the inaugural SA20, where he led the Sunrisers franchise to title victory — a triumph that bagged him South Africa captaincy in the shortest format.
Markram, who was officially named captain in February, will hope to revive the team’s fortunes in the 16th season of the cash-rich league and help SRH go back to its glory days under Warner and Williamson.
Past performances:
Possible XI:
Abhishek Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram (c), Abdul Samad, Glenn Phillips (wk), Washington Sundar, Adil Rashid, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Marco Jansen, Umran Malik
Squad:
Abdul Samad, Aiden Markram, Rahul Tripathi, Glenn Phillips, Abhishek Sharma, Marco Jansen, Washington Sundar, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Karthik Tyagi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Umran Malik, Harry Brook, Mayank Agarwal, Heinrich Klaasen, Adil Rashid, Mayank Markande, Vivrant Sharma, Samarth Vyas, Sanvir Singh, Upendra Singh Yadav, Mayank Dagar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Akeal Hosein, Anmolpreet Singh
Schedule:
2 April: vs Rajasthan Royals in Hyderabad (3:30 PM)
7 April: vs Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow (7:30 PM)
9 April: vs Punjab Kings in Hyderabad (7:30 PM)
14 April: vs Kolkata Knight Riders in Kolkata (7:30 PM)
18 April: vs Mumbai Indians in Hyderabad (7:30 PM)
21 April: vs Chennai Super Kings in Chennai (7:30 PM)
24 April: vs Delhi Capitals in Hyderabad (7:30 PM)
29 April: vs Delhi Capitals in Delhi (7:30 PM)
4 May: vs Kolkata Knight Riders in Hyderabad (7:30 PM)
7 May: vs Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur (7:30 PM)
13 May: vs Lucknow Super Giants in Hyderabad (3:30 PM)
15 May: vs Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad (7:30 PM)
18 May: vs Royal Challengers Bangalore in Hyderabad (7:30 PM)
21 May: vs Mumbai Indians in Mumbai (3:30 PM)
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