Sunrisers Hyderabad may have narrowly missed out on an IPL title last season but they certainly won hearts with their fearless, no-holds barred approach with the bat, which saw shattering several records.
2016 champions SRH are once again banking on a power-packed batting line-up and a revamped bowling attack to end their nine-year title drought as they target a second IPL crown.
SRH's decision to retain their explosive batting trio -- Heinrich Klaasen, Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma -- was a no-brainer. The trio lit up IPL 2024 with their batting pyrotechnics, and will be the cornerstone of SRH's campaign again.
Openers Head and Sharma showed unrelenting aggression last season as they demolished every bowling they came up against last year -- smashing 599 runs combined from 13 innings, averaging 49.91.
South African Klaasen is lethal against spinners and is unstoppable when he gets going. He boasts an incredible strike rate of 168.31, scoring 993 in 35 matches in IPL, with a century and six fifties.
The mega auction saw SRH bolster their batting further with the acquisition of explosive batter Ishan Kishan for Rs 11.25 crore (Rs 112.5 million).
Kishan has a point to prove after a turbulent 2024 which saw him lose his place in the Indian team and also get axed from the BCCI Central Contracts following his refusal to play domestic cricket. He was subsequently released by Mumbai Indians after seven successful seasons at the franchise.
All-rounder Nitish Reddy looks a steal after he was retained as an uncapped player for Rs 6 crore (Rs 60 million) and he should be in a confident frame of mind after his successful showing for Team India in T20Is and Tests.
SRH's bowling attack led by Captain Pat Cummins has undergone a significant overhaul. After releasing Bhuvneshwar Kumar following nine seasons at the franchise, SRH snapped up Mohammed Shami, who roared back from a long injury lay-off with a stellar showing in the ICC Champions Trophy.
Veterans Harshal Patel and Jaydev Unadkat lend a lot of experience to the pace attack, who face a tough task containing the opposition on the batting-friendly pitches in Hyderabad.
Spin could be a weak link for SRH, though, with wrist spinners Adam Zampa and Rahul Chahar as their top leading spinners along with rookie Zeeshan Ansari.
If he clicks, Sri Lanka's batting Kamindu Mendis could prove to be a game-changer for SRH with his ability to bowl spin with both hands -- off-spin and left-arm orthodox, while Abhishek can also send down a few overs in the middle.
Last year, SRH made it to their first IPL final in six years only to lose to an unstoppable Kolkata Knight Riders in the final but this year they are already being touted as one of the big title favourites.
Squad
Batters
Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Atharva Taide, Abhinav Manohar, Aniket Verma, Sachin Baby.
All-rounders
Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins, Kamindu Mendis, Wiaan Mulder.
Wicket-keepers
Heinrich Klaasen, Ishan Kishan.
Bowlers
Mohammed Shami, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Adam Zampa, Rahul Chahar, Simarjeet Singh, Zeeshan Ansari, Eshan Malinga.
IPL Titles: 1 (2016)
Schedule:
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