Sunrisers Hyderabad have been one of the most consistent teams in the history of IPL, as evident by their fifth consecutive run to the play-offs in 2020 edition. SRH is known for it’s meticulous auction strategies envisaged by a management consisting of legends such as Muralitharan and VVS Laxman.
However, like any other team, they have made some wrong decisions on player retention and release which might have affected their team balance. Here we look at five players SRH should not have released,
5. Eoin Morgan
Although he is not a certified superstar in the IPL, Morgan’s invaluable captaincy experience and finishing skills would have come handy for an SRH unit that lacks stability in the middle order. He was bought by SRH before the 2015 IPL and represented them for two seasons.
He only scored two half-centuries in 16 matches but the SRH management did not give him consistent opportunities to prove his talent. He has finally come good in the IPL this season playing for KKR and SRH will be wondering whether they could have utilized him better.
4. Trent Boult
It was a strange move by SRH to release Boult ahead of 2017 IPL, since they have always judged their fast bowlers and have usually extracted the best out of their pace battery. After a wonderful 2015 World Cup, he made his IPL debut for SRH and picked up nine wickets which is a decent tally considering he bowled only 28 overs in the season.
He was unable to play regularly the next season due to a combination of injuries and lack of form. He subsequently moved to Delhi Capitals but his real breakthrough season came in 2020 for Mumbai Indians. MI used him as a powerplay specialist and with the tracks in UAE suiting his style of bowling, he was lethal in the powerplay.
3. Quinton de Kock
Another former SRH player who has now become a star, de Kock was pretty young and had little experience in Indian conditions when SRH bought him in 2013. He was given only three opportunities to prove himself and he failed to do so which prompted his exit from the franchise.
Experience has helped him become a world-class opener in recent seasons for both the Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians. A world-class wicket-keeper batsman is what SRH needs the most now as Saha and Goswami are not typical T-20 players.
2. Shikhar Dhawan
It was a huge surprise for fans and many experts when SRH released Dhawan ahead of the 2019 IPL as there were very few openers of his caliber available in the auction. One can argue that SRH made the right decision considering that Bairstow can bat at a higher strike rate and provides the luxury of left-right combination at the top of the order.
But in IPL 2020, Dhawan showed the world that he can be as destructive as Bairstow while being more consistent as he accumulated over 600 runs at a strike rate of 144.
1. KL Rahul
Far and away the best Indian batsman in the IPL since 2018, Rahul featured in two seasons for Sunrisers Hyderabad before returning to RCB in 2016. He scored 308 runs in 16 innings for SRH but never got to play consistently and was used as a floater.
RCB gave him a solid run at the top of the order during which people recognized his talent and since moving to Punjab, he has raised the bar even higher with his performances. A combination of Warner and Rahul will make room for Williamson to play permanently at number 3 or it will allow SRH to field an all-rounder like Nabi.
