IPL 2019: Boosted with Warner’s return, Sunrisers Hyderabad hope for winning finish
Since inception, T20 cricket has been perceived as the batsman’s game. However, a few teams have challenged the perception, and have built their campaign around bowlers. Sunrisers Hyderabad is the leading team in this domain. They have transformed their home ground, Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, into a fortress. SRH bowlers keep the opposition down to a bare minimum, and their batting has enough firepower to chase the total.
The Orange Army topped the league stage of IPL 2018 with nine wins from 14 matches. They lost to Chennai Super Kings in the Qualifier 1, but defeated Kolkata Knight Riders to gain entry in the final. CSK emerged stronger in the ultimate clash, and the Sunrisers had to settle for the second position. IPL 2016 remains their only title win in the orange outfit.
In 2019 IPL auction, Sunrisers Hyderabad owners were shrewd with their tactics. They had already traded Shikhar Dhawan to Delhi Capitals while receiving Shahbaz Nadeem, Abhishek Sharma and Vijay Shankar in exchange. In the auction, they purchased Jonny Bairstow, Martin Guptill and Wriddhiman Saha to cover the gaps in their side. The Hyderabadi team will be poised to add another silverware to its name.
Imported run-machines:
Sunrisers Hyderabad has claimed three of the last four Orange caps in the IPL. Australian opener David Warner was the leading run-getter of the tournament in 2015 and 2017. In the left-hander’s absence, New Zealand captain Kane Williamson stepped up. The temporary captain amassed 735 runs in 17 matches to become the highest run-scorer of IPL 2018.
This year SRH has added England’s Jonny Bairstow to the existing duo of Warner-Williamson. All three are capable of raising a pile of runs in the upcoming season. These overseas batsmen shall be the mainstays of Hyderabad’s batting lineup in absence of Shikhar Dhawan.
Best bowling attack of the tournament:
It is no secret that Sunrisers Hyderabad’s biggest strength is their bowling attack. In Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul and Sandeep Sharma, they own a formidable pace trio. All three are adept at bowling in any stage of the match and produce desired results.
SRH has the world’s best bowler, Rashid Khan, in service. The Afghan bowler captured 21 wickets in the 2018 season. He was complemented by Bangladesh’s star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan. SRH can also utilize the likes of Mohammad Nabi, Billy Stanlake, Khaleel Ahmed and Shahbaz Nadeem to a greater effect in the upcoming season.
The absence of an effective finisher:
Sunrisers Hyderabad does own prolific run-getters at the top of the order, but they still lack firepower at the end. SRH failed to find a consistent finisher in the last season. Yusuf Pathan and Deepak Hooda scored their runs at a below-par strike rate. Mohammad Nabi, Carlos Brathwaite and Rashid Khan had to step up and add the quick-fire runs at the end.
SRH missed out on signing an effective finisher in the 2019 IPL auction. The franchise will now have to depend on the same stock of players to finish the matches for them.
