Sunrisers Hyderabad were introduced as a new team in the IPL 2013. They got to the playoff stage in their debut season. Then in 2016, they defeated RCB in the final to lift their maiden IPL trophy. This victorious campaign came under the leadership of David Warner, and he led them to the final again in 2018. This time they lost to the Chennai Super Kings.
The Aussie kept captaining them till IPL 2021. SRH parted ways with him after a poor show that season for both the team and the skipper. Kane Williamson was then entrusted with the captaincy duties, but their performance didn’t improve in the 2022 edition. Williamson was released too after the season, and Aiden Markram is their new skipper now.
Let’s take a look at the strengths, weaknesses, and chances of the Hyderabad side in IPL 2023.
SRH Squad 2023
Here’s the SRH full squad for IPL 2023:
Abhishek Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram(c), Harry Brook, Abdul Samad, Anmolpreet Singh, Glenn Phillips, Heinrich Klaasen, Upendra Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Vivrant Sharma, Sanvir Singh, Samarth Vyas, Mayank Dagar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Marco Jansen, Kartik Tyagi, Umran Malik, T Natarajan, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Adil Rashid, Mayank Markande, Akeal Hosein
Sunrisers Hyderabad Likely Starting XI
The first-choice XI of SRH may look like this:
- Mayank Agarwal
- Rahul Tripathi
- Harry Brook
- Aiden Markram (c)
- Glenn Phillips (wk)
- Abdul Samad
- Washington Sundar
- Adil Rashid
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar
- Umran Malik
- T Natarajan
SRH Squad Strengths
Let’s see what the strong points of the Hyderabad squad are:
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All Round Batting
Sunrisers have roped in Mayank Agarwal in the mini-auction to strengthen their batting. Over the years, he has been a consistent performer in the IPL. The opener wasn’t able to make a mark in the league till 2018. But his performance improved in 2019 as he scored 332 runs at an SR of 141.88. He got even better in 2020 as his average and strike rate went up to 38.55 and 156.46. He scored 424 runs in that edition. His purple patch of form continued in 2021, and he amassed 441 runs in 12 matches. He was averaging 40.09 in the season and was striking at 140.45.
After his contributions to the Punjab Kings franchise in these 3 years, he was announced as their captain for the 2022 season. However, this captaincy call-up didn’t help him, as he and his team had a poor run in the league. In IPL 2022, he scored only 196 runs at an average of 16.33. His strike rate was just 122.5, and these performances made PBKS release him. It’s quite fortunate for him that he is no longer captaining a team, and it may help him find his lost touch.
Rahul Tripathi will likely partner with Mayank at the top. He has an impressive IPL record with 1798 runs in 6 seasons. He averages 28.09 in the league, and his strike rate is 140.8. He became a part of the SRH team in the IPL 2022 mega auction. The move turned out to be a masterstroke as he piled up 413 runs at an average of 37.55 in the season. His strike rate of 158.24 tells about his great form in the league. So, Tripathi and Mayank provide a solid opening combination for SRH.
The biggest move of the auction by Sunrisers Hyderabad was the signing of Harry Brook for 13.25 crores. The right-hander is rated as the next big thing in cricket. Brook averages in excess of 33 and strikes at more than 148 in T20 cricket. The skipper Aiden Markram will strengthen the middle order. He has an outstanding record in this format. Markram’s average and strike rate in T20 Internationals are 38.22 and 147.73, respectively. In the Indian Premier League, he averages 40.54 and bats at an SR of 134.1.
Glenn Phillips will play the role of a power hitter in this batting unit. He has been in terrific form of late. In T20Is from 2020 to 22, he has amassed 1221 runs at a strike rate of 156.94. He averages 38.16 in his 39 innings in this period. Abdul Samad and Washington Sundar will be the two finishers for SRH. The former has a strike rate of 142.14 in the league, while the latter strikes at 152.86 in his 14 T20 International innings. So, the Sunrisers have covered all the bases in their batting.
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Strong Bowling Attack
The addition of Adil Rashid makes Hyderabad bowling a tough one to deal with. He has been bowling exceptionally well in T20 Internationals. Rash was pivotal in England’s World Cup-winning campaign. In the last 3 must-win games (including the semi-final and final), his figures were 1/16, 1/20, and 2/22. Washington Sundar will be the other spinner in the side, who has got 33 IPL wickets at the expense of 7.23 runs per over.
The pace bowling consists only of the local bowlers. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umran Malik, and T Natarajan are likely to be their 3 fast bowlers. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is one of the most successful IPL speedsters, with 154 wickets at an economy rate of 7.3. He will lead the pace attack with his experience and accuracy.
Umran Malik will be the spearhead of this bowling lineup. He was the find of IPL 2022 as he grabbed everyone’s attention by taking 22 wickets in the edition. The last man on this list is T. Natarajan, who is a rising star for India in T20 cricket. His IPL career has brought him 38 wickets till now at an economy rate of 8.65. His performances in the cash-rich league earned him a place in India’s T20 side. He took 7 wickets in 4 matches for the national side.
SRH Squad Weaknesses
Sunrisers Hyderabad may struggle in the following aspect:
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Inexperienced Pacers
Apart from Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the other two SRH fast bowlers are quite inexperienced. Natarajan has played 35 IPL matches, while Umran has featured in only 17. Both these speedsters are exciting, but they can be vulnerable in pressure situations.
Players To Watch Out
If you are an SRH fan, keep a close eye on these players:
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Mayank Agarwal
Mayank has scored tons of runs in the last few IPL seasons. If he continues doing so this year, his starting price of ₹137 can go up quickly.
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Harry Brook
Harry Brook is the most valuable player of the Sunrisers Hyderabad team, with a base price of ₹170. The young English batter could be the top run-getter for the team in the tournament.
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Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bhuvi will lead the SRH bowling lineup in IPL 2023. He is one of the most consistent bowlers in IPL history, and his base price for this season is ₹113.
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Umran Malik
The fastest bowler in India was the standout performer for his franchise last year. His ability to take wickets makes him a hot choice in fantasy cricket. His PCs are available for just ₹99 in sportiqo’s market.
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Washington Sundar
The all-rounder will start his IPL campaign with a price of ₹146. He has always been an economical bowler in IPL and has now improved a lot as a batsman too.
Sunrisers Hyderabad IPL 2023 Prediction
After several years, the Sunrisers’ squad looks sound. They have quality batters, fine finishers, and decent bowlers. They are certainly a strong candidate to make it to the final 4 cut. But we think that they might fall short of the playoff race. SRH are likely to finish the league phase in the 5th position and get eliminated before the playoffs.
Final Prediction: League stage elimination.
