Shaky middle could be SunRisers Hyderabad’s Achilles heel

New Delhi(DL): 1 of 6 groups to have won the Indian Premier League (IPL) title, SunRisers Hyderabad(Hyd) have always being a enforce to reckon with in each season from they won the title in 2016. They completed 4th in 2017, runners-up in 2018, & 4th again last season.

& in their own recent avtar, as Deccan Chargers, they won the title in 2009.

David Warner & his own opening partner Jonny Bairstow taken the IPL by storm last season. Warner crashed 692 runs in 12 matches, that made it the 5th consecutive season in that he’d accumulated over 500 runs. Bairstow, on the different hand, plundered 445 runs in 10 matches. The pair averaged an opening partnership of 75 & included a hat-trick of century stands.

It’s when they look below these 2 that SRH face a bit of a selection dilemma. They’d be looking to make the majority of the slow wickets that can be on offer within the UAE & in that complaint, SRH would be tempted to pick Mohammad Nabi, who’s also a dependable bat within the lower middle order. However that can also mean that SRH going to have to bench Kane Williamson, a person popularly rated amongst the finest batsmen within the globe.

Williamson’s status as an expendable within the SRH XI when he’s not captaining the side was one such strangest elements of the IPL. A player who’d otherwise be witnessed as an automatic starter within the XI, the dugout was a familiar place for Williamson in SRH & with Nabi’s fellow Afghan Rashid Khan an integral part of the SRH bowling attack, the New Zealand captain maybe wearing the bib once again in quite some matches this season.

Williamson has been No.three for SRH last season & this yr., they may go for the fresh-faced Priyam Garg, India(In)’s captain in the 2024 U-19 Globe Cup, (or) the seasoned Wriddhiman Saha, in that position. Virat Singh, who scored 343 runs in 57.16 with a strike rate of 142.32 within the last Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, is also an option they’d be looking in.

Manish Pandey was a rock for SRH over the yrs. & can be a shoo-in in No.four however after this, SRH have amongst Vijay Shankar, Fabian Allen, 18-year-old Abdul Samad & Nabi to choose from for 5, Six & seven slots. With the selections of Nabi & Allen affecting different spots because of the foreign player rule, different groups going to be looking in this are as SRH’s soft location.

Their own bowling has normally revolved about Rashid Khan & Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Although, a show of wounds have affected the latter’s Intl. career in previous yrs. & so it remains to be witnessed of it catches up with him within the IPL this yr..

With 133 wickets in 117 matches under his own belt, 30-year-old Bhuvneshwar is the Sr. statesman amongst the bowlers however this is not something that bothers him too much.

“Well, there’s no stress in all because the tandem is never dependent on any 1 player. It’s regarding all 11 persons who contribute. Though being a Sr. player you always need to take (2) extra responsibility, there’s no stress in all,” he stated.

Nabi’s form within the Caribbean Premier League (12 wickets in an average of 17), coupled with the slow wickets within the UAE going to make him an ideal pick. SRH also have Khaleel Ahmed, Sandeep Sharma & Siddharth Kaul to choose from within the fast bowling dept. alongwith towering Australian pacer Billy Stanlake.

Strengths:

SRH have in their own squad players who could win matches single-handedly. Warner & Bairstow have been terrorising bowling targets up & down the IPL table during the league phase of the recent season awhile Rashid & Bhuvneshwar are challenging prospects for any tandem to face anywhere within the globe. The depth they’ve within the bowling dept. is an enviable 1 with the likes of Nabi, Stanlake, & Khaleel all capable of creating up a powerful supporting cast for Rashid & Bhuvneshwar

Weaknesses:

In complaint one such top 4 doesn’t make it to the end of the innings, SRH going to locate it challenging to bat within the demise overs as they don’t have a proven performer within the finishing positions of No.Five & No.6. Trying to fit Allen into the side would mean that they’d have to discuss dropping Bairstow (or) Nabi. In case not, afterwards they’ve the options of the unheralded Abdul Samad & Vijay Shankar. The previous comes with a powerful prestige although finishing the recent national season with the most sixes (61) across formats for J&K.

Squad: David Warner (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Basil Thampi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Billy Stanlake, Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Shahbaz Nadeem, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), Jonny Bairstow (wicket-keeper), Shreevats Goswami (wicket-keeper), Siddarth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed, T Natarajan, Vijay Shankar, Abdul Samad, Fabian Allen, Mitchell Marsh, Priyam Garg, Sandeep Bavanaka, Sanjay Yadav, Virat Singh

Coaching Employees: Trevor Bayliss (head coach), Brad Haddin (assistant coach), Muttiah Muralitharan (bowling coach), Biju George (fielding coach), VVS Laxman (mentor)