Sunrisers Hyderabad Auction Preview

Squad Size: 22

Purse Remaining: 10.75

Available slots (Overseas): 3 (1)

Who have they retained: 

Sunrisers Hyderabad has chosen to put faith in the team assembled in 2020, retaining 22 players, the most amongst all the franchisees ahead of the 2021 IPL auction. SRH have reached the playoffs for 5 consecutive years and have continued with the same formula that has got them this consistency. They have retained 7 of their overseas players including Jason Holder who came in as a replacement last season and performed incredibly well in the second half of the tournament. They have also retained the Afghan duo of Nabi and Rashid Khan as well as Mitchell Marsh who got injured at the start of the 2020 season.

Who have they released:

With David Warner, Bairstow, Williamson, Rashid Khan and their strong Indian bowling contingent, SRH is a very settled side that doesn’t make many changes. It is difficult for overseas players to break into the team which is why they have eventually released Billy Stanlake and Fabian Allen who failed to get a game last season. They also let go of domestic players Sanjay Yadav, Prithviraj Yarra and Sandeep Bavanaka who also didn’t feature in the first XI last year.

What they need: 

Despite the likes of Abdul Samad, Abhishek Sharma and India U-19 captain Priyam Garg showing promise, the one weakness of this side is their Indian middle-order batting unit. Their weak middle order prompted SRH to drop Jonny Bairstow mid-way through last season in place of Jason Holder who provided better balance. They also need to find an overseas fast bowler that can supplement or guide their Indian pace contingent.

Players they can sign: 

Indian batting talent is incredibly scarce at this mini-auction, and the best option available is either Karun Nair or Kedar Jadhav. Nair only played 3 IPL games last season and scored only 93 runs in six innings in the recently concluded SMAT. Jadhav also had a poor outing in the UAE, scoring only 62 runs in five innings for CSK. Jadhav did have a slightly better SMAT than Nair, scoring 193 runs in five innings including a 45-ball 82 versus Chhattisgarh. Despite their form, they are both quality players who might thrive in new surroundings in the IPL. In terms of pace bowling, the only overseas option they have is Jason Holder and if they are looking for someone with a bit more pace, they can opt for England’s Mark Wood.