Sunrisers Hyderabad has been one of the better franchises in recent years. With a title in 2016 and a few playoff qualifications, the franchise has surpassed expectations with its performances. However, owing to not being a glamorous outfit, many good performers of the franchise have gone under the radar. Meanwhile, the outfit has also provided a platform for few players to rise in their professions. In this article, we talk about five players whose career sparked while playing for SRH.
The management has ensured that any cricketer playing for SRH will have a clear well-defined role. This has been one of the main reasons for the franchise being able to carve out a strong core in the last few editions. Here, we take a look at five men who benefited from being part of this system.
1. Rashid Khan
When he came into the unit, Rashid Khan was still a youngster looking to make a mark in the sport. Yes, he had potential, but the defining performances were yet to arrive. It was because of his displays while playing for SRH that the Afghan made a name as one of the best T20 spinners on the planet.
In 62 games so far, Rashid has collected 75 wickets for the Sunrisers at a phenomenal average of 20.49. He is an impact cricketer and one of the best to have played for the men in Orange.
2. Kane Williamson
There was an image in everyone’s minds about Kane Williamson when he first signed up for the auction. Many considered him a specialist red-ball batsman and felt he would not be picked at the auctions. SRH, though, had different ideas. They picked up him, that too, at a meagre amount.
This has probably been one of the best buys in the history of IPL. Williamson has been part of numerous victories for SRH since then. Not only that, for New Zealand too, the cricketer became the go-to man across formats. It helped him stabilize his position in his country’s limited-overs squad.
3. Jonny Bairstow
Not many remember but it was in the red-ball format that Jonny Bairstow first made a mark in the international scene. However, he got a few games in the limited-overs and grabbed all his chances to claim a spot in the XI.
Yet, with the likes of Jos Buttler and Jason Roy at the top, the going was still tough for Bairstow. But then, after his spectacular debut season in IPL, the floodgates opened for the wicket-keeper batsman in his limited-overs career. He is now an undroppable name in the England team.
4. T Natarajan
IPL 2020 was a massive moment in T Natarajan’s career. At one point, he was warming the bench at SRH for far too long, and many felt that his career was slipping away.
However, the consistent hard work paid dividends in UAE. Nattu produced good displays in almost every game and after Bhuvi’s injury, became the leader of the pace-attack. Since then, he has made his debut across all the formats for Team India. There could be no better example for a player clicking while being part of one franchise.
5. Siddharth Kaul
Siddharth Kaul was part of the famous squad that won the U19 World Cup back in 2008. Virat Kohli was the captain of that squad. While Kaul’s other teammates had a quick rise in their careers, the Punjab pacer found it hard to keep pace.
However, he rediscovered his touch while playing for SRH. Especially during the middle-overs, Kaul etched out a style of his own in containing runs and picking wickets. Although he did get to play India after that, he struggled to keep hold of his place.
