Without extracting much of the limelight, Sunrisers Hyderabad has been chipping away at fruitful campaigns in recent years. While they won the trophy in 2016, the final appearance in 2018 and the entrance to the playoffs in 2020 are some of their other notable performances.
Sunrisers Hyderabad released the least number of players ahead of the IPL 2021 Auctions. They had a limited purse, and naturally, the men representing the ‘Orange Army’ were considerably inactive at the event. It was only at the end that they made a few purchases.
The core of the team has a beautiful look, and if the key players remain fit, Sunrisers Hyderabad can launch a title-winning campaign next season. On that note, here is a look at the strongest possible playing XI for them in IPL 2021.
Openers: David Warner (C) and Wriddhiman Saha (WK)
David Warner is one of the most consistent batsmen in IPL. However, his form in international cricket maybe, Warner somehow produces extra-ordinary performances in IPL. In the upcoming edition, too, SRH will rely on him for energetic starts and intelligent captaincy moves.
Wriddhiman Saha played a few crucial knocks last season. Since then, he has kept Jonny Bairstow away from the XI. For the team balance, too, Saha opening alongside Warner will be more suitable.
Middle-Order: Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey and Kedar Jadhav
This department has been SRH’s Achilles Heel over the years. Kane Williamson is the only player who has been consistent in the middle-order. Whether he plays at No.3 or No.4 is something that the franchise can decide based on the form of the openers.
Although he has shown flashes, Manish Pandey’s justification for INR 11 crore price-tag is yet to arrive. On a personal note as well, Manish must be at his best in IPL to return to the Indian squad.
SRH’s latest recruit, Kedar Jadhav, might walk straightaway into the XI. While his improving form is one reason, Kedar’s experience is another purpose. He brings more sanity to the proceedings ahead of Priyam Garg or Abdul Samad.
All-Rounders: Vijay Shankar and Jason Holder
Vijay Shankar suffered from fitness issues in IPL 2020. However, SRH will hope that he would be available by the time IPL 2021 begins. The Tamil Nadu cricketer is a good player and just needs a few decent games to get back to form.
Jason Holder was one of the surprise performers for SRH last season. Not only with the ball, but the West Indian also displayed his fine skills with the willow. He plays at No.7 for this team.
Bowlers: Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shahbaz Nadeem and T Natarajan
Sunrisers Hyderabad possesses one of the strongest bowling attacks in IPL. Rashid Khan is probably the world’s best T20 spinner at the moment. His batting is also improving, and that will be good news for SRH.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar is extremely close to full fitness. He missed a part of the last edition due to an injury. Although SRH did well in his absence, his arrival will add more steel to the unit.
Shahbaz Nadeem will be the team’s second spinner behind Rashid. If either Mohammad Nabi, Abdul Samad or Abhishek Sharma are not in the squad, Nadeem’s responsibility would increase. SRH has added J Suchith as a backup for this slot.
T Natarajan was exceptional with his yorkers in the UAE. He is a capped player now and will be David Warner’s go-to death bowler.
