The SunRisers Hyderabad strengthened their squad with a young domestic core, bringing in Washington Sundar, Rahul Tripathi and Abhishek Sharma for large fees, while Nicholas Pooran was their biggest buy at a massive ₹10.75 crore. Where do the SRH stand as the dust settles in?
Prior to the 2021 IPL season, the SunRisers Hyderabad seemed to have answers to most of their shortcomings. In hindsight, there were always glaring weaknesses in that team, but those were usually papered over by David Warner’s brilliance, with their bowlers also bailing them out.
But when the former Australian national team captain underwent a rough patch and their bowling warhorses went down with injuries one after the other, the SRH simply couldn’t cope. The team tried to act proactively by dropping the Australian when after a string of low scores he mustered 57 runs off 55 balls against the CSK on a surface that had more for the batters than the bowlers, making it easier for them to take that call. Kane Williamson was tasked with leading the side, but things failed to improve. Hyderabad again reinstated Warner at the top of the order for a couple of games before things turned so sour that he was asked to watch from his hotel room as the team fought to resolve their mediocrity. It became apparent that the Hyderabad-Warner nexus was no longer going to work and the team needed a new approach, with Williamson, Samad and Umran Malik as the new focal points.
The SRH spent just ₹22 crore retaining the services of Kane Williamson (₹14 crore), Abdul Samad (₹4 crore) and Umran Malik (₹4 crore) and had one of the biggest purses at ₹68 crore to build a team around them. And it looked like they had come with a certain plan in place: they didn’t fancy bidding for any of the marquee players and were content to let the auction pass by them. They played their cards right and made purchases that had the SRH imprint all over them. They brought back the experienced and wily customers in Bhubaneswar Kumar (₹4.2 crore) and T Natarajan (₹4 crore). They went big for Nicholas Pooran at ₹10.75 crore and also roped in Washington Sundar and Rahul Tripathi for a combined sum of ₹17.25 crore. They also didn’t hesitate about forking out a big paycheck for their former employee Abhishek Sharma, putting ₹6.50 crore on the table. The SunRisers, therefore, managed to put together a good, young core of domestic players, with their overseas players expected to provide the spark and the X-Factor needed to win games.
So, without further ado, let’s dive into it and take a look at the SWOT analysis of the SunRisers Hyderabad for IPL 2022.
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SunRisers Hyderabad‘s Squad
Total squad strength: 23
| Batters and Wicket-keepers | All-rounders | Bowlers |
|---|---|---|
| Aiden Markram | Abdul Samad | Bhuvneshwar Kumar |
| Kane Williamson (c) | Abhishek Sharma | Fazalhaq Farooqi |
| Priyam Garg | Glen Phillips | Kartik Tyagi |
| Rahul Tripathi | Marco Jensen | Saurabh Dubey |
| Ravikumar Samarth | Romario Shepherd | T Natarajan |
| Nicholas Pooran (wk) | Sean Abbott | Umran Malik |
| Vishnu Vinod (wk) | Shashank Singh | Jagadeesha Suchith |
| Washington Sundar | Shreyas Gopal |
Probable XI: Abhishek Sharma, Kane Williamson (c), Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Abdul Samad, Romario Shephard, Washington Sundar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umran Malik, T Natarajan.
STRENGTH
The SunRisers Hyderabad’s biggest strength is the fact that they arguably have one of the best limited-overs captains in the world. In a format where teams are separated by the thinnest of margins, that tactical nous is rather invaluable, and not to forget what Kane Williamson brings to the table with his bat. He is that one thread that can hold the entire SRH batting order together on his own.
At ₹2.6 crore, Aiden Markram is a solid buy for the SunRisers. He gives them that anchor-styled batter up top to provide Rahul Tripathi with the freedom and licence to play his natural game, while both Nicholas Pooran and Abdul Samad can be pushed ahead of Williamson to keep the attacking flow going, thus giving them good flexibility within those top and middle orders.
The SRH have three great options in their fast-bowling department, with the trio of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umran Malik and T Natarajan likely to lead the pack. Both Malik and Kumar will look to provide early wickets during the Powerplay overs, while the yorker expert Natarajan will take the lead during the death overs. The team also have Washington Sundar to fall back on if things don’t pan out their way and contain the flow of runs, while the trio of Abdul Samad, Abhishek Sharma and Romario Shepherd gives them enough options to cover the four overs by the fifth bowler.
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WEAKNESS
The middle order has been a source of concern for the SunRisers Hyderabad for a long time now. In the previous two seasons, they have had to rely on the youngsters far too often and have ended up losing games they should have won. This time too, it seems as if they’ve failed to add enough firepower in the middle order for the death overs.
Muttiah Muralitharan, in an interview with Sportskeeda, said that the SRH management group would be looking to use Abhishek Sharma at the top of the order with Kane Williamson. If that’s the case, they can move Markram to the No. 4 spot to provide some much-needed experience and international pedigree, though they would be taking a huge gamble if they were to rely on Abdul Samad, Abhishek Sharma and Washington Sundar at Nos. 5, 6 and 7.
Romario Shepherd was a late but important acquisition for the SRH to fill the hole made by Jason Holder’s departure. The West Indian all-rounder is known for his ability to muscle the ball and maintain a very high Strike Rate, giving the team some much needed cushion lower down the batting order.
Moreover, the SRH spin attack doesn’t have enough wicket-takers in it. Washington Sundar is known for his ability to restrict the run flow and chip in with a wicket or two, while both Samad and Sharma are part-time options who can contribute with an over or two, making the spin department look extremely vulnerable and impotent.
OPPORTUNITY
The SunRisers have put a lot of trust in their young players. They retained Abdul Samad and Umran Malik for ₹4 crore each, while spending ₹6.50 crore on Abhishek Sharma and ₹8.50 crore on Rahul Tripathi.
People really underestimate the role Tripathi was playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders and how integral he was to their cause. No wonder why the Knight Riders went for him almost till the end; he can score at a frightening pace from the off and is comfortable anywhere from positions Nos. 1–6. Besides, having players like Kane Williamson and Aiden Markram alongside him will take some responsibility off Tripathi’s shoulders and give him the licence to express himself.
The SRH management believes Abhishek Sharma is better suited for the top of the batting order, although he hasn’t produced anything of substance over the last two seasons and also hasn’t had enough opportunities batting lower down the order to showcase his worth. Maybe the opening slot will prove to be the difference-maker for Sharma.
On a similar boat is Abdul Samad: the young cricketer from Kashmir has loads of potential, and the SRH evidently thought it would be naïve to let go of the young promising cricketer. Thus, he is someone who will have a lot of hopes pinned on him, especially from the support staff and the management team.
Finally, there’s the 22-year-old speedster from Srinagar, Umran Malik. The SRH decided to retain the express bowler and built a team around his strength. Malik broke into the scene with his searing pace, bowling with speeds in excess of 150 km/h throughout the second leg of the 2021 IPL campaign. He is a rare talent who, if nurtured correctly, can become the spreadhead of the SRH bowling attack heading into the next IPL Mega Auction.
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THREAT
The SunRisers only have a few match-winners within their ranks. They have a group of young and hungry players in and around those match-winners with some potential to grow into a formidable force. However, they are inexperienced and likely to crumble under sustained pressure.
While there is depth, quality is lacking in the SRH spin-bowling department. Their best XI offers Abhishek Sharma, Washington Sundar and Abdul Samad as the only spin-bowling options, and if they were to bring in someone like Shreyas Gopal, it would have to be at the expense of either Abdul Samad or Abhishek Sharma, further weakening their fragile middle order.
Their fast bowling department possesses a few reasons for concern too. They have the young but inexperienced Umran Malik, and then there is Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who hasn’t been up to the standards since his last injury. Finally, they have T Natarajan, who himself has been going through a chronic run of injuries ever since breaking into the Indian Test side. They also have Kartik Tyagi as a backup option, and he is a more-than-decent cover for any three of them. Thus, although this bowling attack has lots of potential, if one or two components were to break down or misfire, the entire system might come crashing down.
So, even though Kane Williamson and the SunRisers Hyderabad have built a good squad with good backup options across almost all positions, they have certain weaknesses within that setup that can cost them dearly at crucial moments during a game. I expect them to surprise some of the big guns from time to time, though I think they will fall off just before the final hurdle. However, if certain players mature well throughout the season and take their game up a step or two, by the time the 2023 edition of the IPL rolls around, the SRH could become a dark horse for those Playoff places.
