The Sunrisers Hyderabad is one such franchise that is never really talked about when we think of the teams that could go the distance in the tournament, possibly because they are overlooked quite often. But, the reality is that they are a quality T20 side that always punches above their weight and with the progression of the tournament they get better and better. The team has managed to reach every season’s play-off stage since the 2016 IPL and therefore we can say that it does know how to remain consistent over time.

Strengths :-

It is no secret that the ‘orange Army’ relies heavily on their overseas basmen which includes one of the most dangerous batsmen of the tournament – David Warner, Jonny Bairstow and Kane Williamson who showed that his place in the XI is irreplaceable considering that he will be batting in a middle-order that has not shown a lot of promise in their performances.

With possibly the smartest first-choice bowling attack in the IPL, they will be banking on the specialists with the ball to win most of their games from crunch situations. Their riches in the department include Bhuvi and Natarajan as the frontline bowlers in the powerplay and the death while Rashid will be their greatest weapon in the middle-overs.

Image courtesy : Sunrisers Hyderabad/ Twitter

Weaknesses :-

They lack a geuine power-hitter down the order who can play two possible roles – 1) Boost their first innings target in the final overs following a strong start by the openers and, 2) Finish off games for them while chasing a target under pressure. Yes, Kedar Jadhav has played that role for India in the past but it has been over a year since he was dropped. Mitch Marsh’s exit also does not help the Hyderabad franchise. Jason Holder fits the role but if he features in the XI either Bairstow or Williamson will have to be benched.

They do not have an option of a reliable second spinner to partner Rashid Khan in the XI and also lack bowlers with express pace bowling at 140 km/hour regularly.

Team Combination :-

A lot of different dyanmics will be considered by the team to solve their issue of leaving out quality overseas players. Here’s a look at the two most likely playing XI’s.

  1. With Holder in the XI – Warner, Saha, Pandey, Williamson, Samad, Holder, A Sharma, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar, S Sharma, Natarajan. ( 6 bowling options which is a safe bet in T20 cricket.)
  2. With Bairstow in the XI – Warner, Bairstow, Pandey, Williamson, Shankar, Samad A Sharma, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar, S Sharma, Natarajan. ( Allthough the trio of Shankar + Samad + A Sharma does not give you a lot of confidence but Shankar + A Sharma will be your 5th bowling option so they are necessary inclusions in the XI. Samad is someone who has shown the potential to be a finisher so they will stick with him also, because there is no other player available in that role. Virat Singh and Priyam Garg are anchors and Jadhav at best will fancy an outside chance of being picked in the lower-middle order.)

Key to success :-

  1. Warner to score bulk of the runs like every other previous season.
  2. Williamson should not let the run-rate drop, not leave too much for the lower-middle order.
  3. Saha/Goswami to contribute with the bat so that Holder can fit in the XI.
  4. Repeated every year but Manish Pandey should have an outstanding IPL.
  5. Second Spinner’s role to be played well by Abhishek Sharma/ Nadeem/Suchith?

Predicted Finish :-

Will qualify for the play-offs.

Thanks for reading this article and stay tuned for the analysis of the rest of the teams. Do share your opinions or thoughts on the sunrisers hyderabad team, key players, strenghts, weaknesses etc @kanzzpp on twitter and @shortlegcricketblog on instagram!