Sunrisers Hyderabad was once the most consistent teams in Indian Premier League (IPL) circuit, having made at least the playoffs in each of the seasons from 2016 to 2020, during which they lifted the coveted trophy once and finished as the runner-up on another occasion. But, SRH no longer remain a threat to reckon with. Since 2021, they have finished with the wooden spoon twice, including the last season, where they had managed just four wins.
On Tuesday, in IPL's first ever auction away from home, SRH will be among the busiest sides in Dubai as they enter the event with the second-biggest purse of INR 34 crore. They have made just one adjustment to their squad post the announcement of their retention list, trading Shahbaz Ahmed from Royal Challengers Bangalore in exchange for Mayank Dagar, but Hyderabad have plenty of holes to plug .
How does Sunrisers Hyderabad squad look ahead of IPL 2024 auction?
Players released: Harry Brook, Samarth Vyas, Kartik Tyagi, Vivrant Sharma, Akeal Hosein, Adil Rashid
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Trades: Besides the Cameron Green deal with Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore have been involved in another trade, with Sunrisers Hyderabad, involving two Indian all-rounders. Shahbaz Ahmed has found a new home in SRH, who outbid Kolkata Knight Riders to acquire the left-hander while RCB signed Mayank Dagar in exchange from the 2016 champions in the trade deal. Both the cricketers will play at their existing fees.
{{/usCountry}}Trades: Besides the Cameron Green deal with Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore have been involved in another trade, with Sunrisers Hyderabad, involving two Indian all-rounders. Shahbaz Ahmed has found a new home in SRH, who outbid Kolkata Knight Riders to acquire the left-hander while RCB signed Mayank Dagar in exchange from the 2016 champions in the trade deal. Both the cricketers will play at their existing fees.
{{/usCountry}}Retained players: Abdul Samad, Abhishek Sharma, Aiden Markram, Marco Jansen, Rahul Tripathi, Washington Sundar, Glenn Phillips, Sanvir Singh, Heinrich Klaasen, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mayank Agarwal, T. Natarajan, Anmolpreet Singh, Mayank Markande, Upendra Singh Yadav, Umran Malik, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Purse remaining (in INR): 34 crore crore
Slots remaining: 6 (3 overseas)
What Sunrisers Hyderabad need to do at IPL 2024 auction?
Despite finishing bottom of the tabel, SRH have retaiend 18 of their 25 players from the previous season. What still sets them apart is a core Indian line-up in Rahul Tripathi, Washington Sundar, Mayank Agarwal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umran Malik among others while some of their core overseas players in Aiden Markram, Glenn Phillips, Heinrich Klaasen and Marco Jansen have been doing well consistently in the international stage. So where do SRH need to work to get a perfect squad?
Hunt for Rashid Khan's replacement continues: Since the departure of the T20 sensation ahead of the 2022 season, SRH's spin attack have dished out worrying numbers. In the last two years, the spinners of SRH have picked only 38 wickets at almost nine runs per over with an average of 36.81 - the worst among all 10 franchises. Hyderabad hence will be desperately in search of an overseas wristspinner.
Strengthening the batting core: And that is both Indian and overseas. SRH have Mayank and Tripathi as their primary choices along with Abhishek Sharma, but their top-order has lacked that spark since the departure of David Warner. They need aggressive top-order batters. This was what Harry Brook was roped in for in 2023, but England's rising star, who was then compared to Virat Kohli by Ben Stokes, did not match the expectation. SRH could hence be seen chasing New Zealand batters in Rachin Ravindra or Daryl Mitchell. And among the Indians, they could be chasing someone like Shahrukh Khan or the experienced Karun Nair.
IPL 2024 Auction: Players Sunrisers Hyderabad can target -
Likely Indian picks: Top/middle-order batters like Shahrukh Khan or Karun Nair.
Overseas picks: Jason Holder (repurchase), Wanindu Hasaranga, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell