Sunrisers Hyderabad IPL Team

Champions of the IPL in 2016, Sunrisers Hyderabad came the closest they ever have to landing trophy number two when they took a behemoth of a squad to the finals in IPL 2024. With Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head setting the tone early, Heinrich Klaasen bossing the middle overs and the death, and Pat Cummins their captain after an expensive auction in the previous auction, SRH redefined what IPL cricket looked like.

Take a look at the scores they were putting up with the bat last season, and it becomes clear that this was a one-of-a-kind team. A 277/4 against MI to beat the long-standing highest score record in the IPL, before shattering that only a couple of weeks later with 287/3 against RCB. For all the runs they scored, however, the lasting memory for a lot of Hyderabad fans will be the failure of that batting lineup to show up against Kolkata Knight Riders in the final.

Going into 2025, they kept many of their key pieces from that incredible campaign: Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma remain at the top, Pat Cummins and Heinrich Klaasen as part of their overseas contingent, the young and exciting Nitish Kumar Reddy off the back of a confidence-boosting batting performance down under, all were retained to provide a solid core that will start every match, come what may.

Added to this unit was Ishan Kishan, an Indian international who can also provide wicketkeeping backup, and steps in as an upgrade to that number three position. They also landed Mohammed Shami, taking a punt on his fitness, and one that looks as if it may pay off after his Champions Trophy performance. A pace attack of Cummins, Shami, Harshal Patel, and Nitish filling out the overs? SRH were wily, and this could be perfect for the big dimensions of the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

On the spin front, SRH ensured they weren’t lacking either. Their marquee overseas buy was Adam Zampa, who will provide more threat with the ball in the middle overs, as the Aussie will likely be accompanied by Rahul Chahar. This quality of spin was brought in for less than INR 7 crore, and could prove to be one of the smartest pieces of business in the auction, although time will tell on that front.

All in all, SRH have preserved the bones of a terrifyingly strong IPL team, one that is based on power and runs on the board, and one that is an example of the direction the IPL is heading. Add to this some savvy business, plenty of experience, and still enough youth to build around when the time comes, and the Orange Army down in Hyderabad will be expecting some sort of silverware. If this team clicks, as they did for much of last season, they become a unit that is difficult to stop. They will have to ensure that the energy remains in the tank.