IPL 2019: Kane Williamson, Bhuvneshwar Kumar key for Sunrisers Hyderabad in this season

The Sunrisers Hyderabad have retained most of their core players, but the big change for them this time would be the absence of Shikhar Dhawan. He was traded for Abhishek Sharma, Vijay Shankar, Shahbaz Nadeem from the Delhi Daredevils.

The Sunrisers Hyderabad performed exceedingly well in the last season, even though they lost their captain David Warner because of his involvement in the ball-tampering saga in South Africa. Kane Williamson took over as skipper and led them to the final of the tournament, where they lost to ChennaI Super Kings by eight wickets.

File image of Kane Williamson. (PTI)

The Sunrisers have retained most of their core players, but the big change for them this time would be the absence of Shikhar Dhawan. He was traded for Abhishek Sharma, Vijay Shankar, Shahbaz Nadeem from the Delhi Daredevils.

Shreevats Goswami, who opened with Dhawan in the last season, could walk out to bat with David Warner this time. Warner, who will complete his 12-month ban on 29 March, will be eligible to play the IPL, however, he is currently recovering from an elbow injury and his comeback date is not yet confirmed.

If Warner is unavailable, then the Sunrisers could play their new signee Martin Guptill at the top of the order. The opening batsman struck form with an unbeaten 117 against Bangladesh in the first ODI on February 13.

The Sunrisers may have to thing about tweaking their batting line-up according to the circumstances but their bowling unit will remain the same. The management will hope for Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul and Sandeep Sharma to come up with the goods once again. Rashid Khan and Siddarth Kaul were joint second highest wicket-takers in the last season with 21 scalps.

FULL SQUAD

Kane Williamson, David Warner, Basil Thampi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Hooda, Manish Pandey, T Natarajan, Ricky Bhui, Sandeep Sharma, Siddarth Kaul, Shreevats Goswami (wk), Khaleel Ahmed, Yusuf Pathan, Billy Stanlake, Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Shakib Al Hasan, Jonny Bairstow, Wriddhiman Saha, Martin Guptill.

FIVE OVERSEAS PLAYERS TO WATCH OUT FOR

David Warner

David Warner will be raring to make a comeback in the Indian Premier League. The Australian hasn’t played high competitive cricket for almost a year and the IPL would be the perfect platform to announce his arrival onto the big stage. Warner showed decent form with three fifties in the Bangladesh Premier League before sustaining an injury.

Kane Williamson

Kane Williamson was the highest scorer in the IPL last year with 735 runs. The New Zealand skipper will certainly look to replicate his performance this year as well. He hasn’t been in the best of form in his recent international innings and therefore he would surely look to use the IPL to get back into touch before the World Cup.

Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan has been the trump card for Sunrisers Hyderabad and he will be the main bowler once again in this season. The Afghan leg-spinner bowled at an average of 21.80 and an economy rate of 6.73. He has shown good form in the Big Bash League with 19 wickets in 14 matches.

Shakib Al Hasan

Shakib Al Hasan sustained a finger fracture in the Bangladesh Premier League, but he should be fit by the time the Indian Premier League begins. The Bangladeshi star is a vital player for the Sunrisers, since he can bowl four tight overs and contribute with sensible innings in the middle order.

Martin Guptill

Martin Guptill went unsold in the last season and therefore he will be hoping to prove his mettle in this IPL. Guptill will surely be used as a reserve opener and when he gets a chance, the explosive opener could go all guns blazing. The New Zealand batsman will be looking to put up consistent performances ahead of the World Cup.

FIVE INDIAN PLAYERS TO WATCH OUT FOR

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been a key figure for the Sunrisers Hyderabad for several years. The speedster will look to pick up early wickets and lead the bowling unit once again. Bhuvneshwar is lethal in the first six overs by swinging the new ball both ways.

Siddarth Kaul

Siddarth Kaul was one of the star bowlers in IPL 2018. The speedster can bowl at a quick pace and hits the deck hard with his deliveries. Kaul is the first change bowler in the side. After the ball loses a bit of shine, Kaul takes over and bowls with the spinners in action from the other end.

Sandeep Sharma

Sandeep Sharma performed decently in the last season of the IPL.The fast bowler, who can swing the ball well, shares the new ball with Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Sandeep took 12 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 27.75.

Yusuf Pathan

Yusuf Pathan didn’t have a great season last year, but he is always capable of hitting the big shots in the death overs. Pathan showed some form in the Ranji Trophy as well, with a century for Baroda against Chhattisgarh.

Wriddhiman Saha

Wriddhiman Saha has been out of competitive cricket since the IPL last year. The wicket-keeper, who was a regular in the Indian Test side, has tapered off from the international scene. He will be making comeback in the Syed Mushtaq Ali in February and will surely look to catch the Indian selectors’ eyes with his performances in the IPL.

PAST RECORD

2013 – Playoffs

2014 – sixth

2015 – sixth

2016 – Champions

2017 – Playoffs

2018 – Runners-up