Sunrisers Hyderabad is known to be a quiet team. They might not have the star power like Royal Challengers Bangalore or Chennai Super Kings but they have what it takes to be a champion. After a fantastic season in the 2018, they will be raring to go again.
The Sunrisers Hyderabad side will be boosted by the return of David Warner. Warner was out of action following the sandpaper gate which happened in South Africa resulting in him getting a one-year ban. With the World Cup right around the corner, Warner will be looking to make a mark in this year’s IPL.
The Sunrisers team looks like a balanced side although injury concerns to players like Kane Williamson and Shakib-Al-Hasan could play a huge role in the fortunes. Shakib-Al-Hasan has been cleared by the Bangladesh Cricket Board to play IPL but injury concerns still haunt the star all-rounder.
Kane Williamson was handed the reins last year in the absence of Warner, and he took the team to the Final. Not just as a batsman, but his contributions as a leader are invaluable to the team.
Shikhar Dhawan was traded by the Hyderabad team to the Delhi Capitals and in return, they got Vijay Shankar, Shahbaz Nadeem and Abhishek Sharma from the Delhi team. Martin Guptill and Jonny Bairstow have also been added to their squad.
Rashid Khan has been the trump card for the Hyderabad team. The leg spinner from Afghanistan has won a number of matches single-handedly. Khan has also bailed his team out of dangerous situations in the IPL by contributing with the bat lower down the order. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is another bowler in the SRH ranks who the captain relies on when the chips are down. The Hyderabad team will have to make sure that they don’t rely heavily on Rashid Khan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Also, they may miss out on the services of Warner, Williamson, Rashid, Shakib in the second half of the tournament, as they may be called by their national sides for World Cup preparations.
Sunrisers Hyderabad Squad: David Warner, Kane Williamson, Martin Guptill, Jonny Bairstow, Shakib-Al Hasan, Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda, Yusuf Pathan, Wriddhiman Saha, Abhishek Sharma, Vijay Shankar, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Siddarth Kaul, Basil Thampi, Sandeep Sharma, Billy Stanlake, Ricky Bhui, Shahbaz Nadeem, Mohammad Nabi, T Natarajan, Shreevats Goswami.