Sunrisers Hyderabad along with Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings were one of the most settled squads going into the IPL 2020 auctions. They bought seven players and now they have the required 25 to build up their squad. After the auction, VVS Laxman, the SRH Mentor said that they were happy with their buys and their purpose of filling the loopholes were met. We now get down to forming the predicted line-up of SRH this season.
In this article, we will predict the three best possible line-ups of SRH where we will test out the various combinations of the squad.
The Best Possible Predicted Line-Up of SRH
David Warner, Kane Williamson, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Manish Pandey, Priyam Garg, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, Sandeep Sharma, Siddharth Kaul, Shahbaz Nadeem
This is the best possible predicted line-up of SRH which can take the field against any opponent. Sunrisers previously have been a bowling heavy side and have successfully defended scores below 150 in the past. They will not look to change what has worked for them in the past and thus will probably stick to this possible combination.
Their batting heavily rests on Warner, Bairstow and Williamson and will continue to be so. Manish Pandey is an important cog in their wheel and will need to score runs in the middle-order. Having joined the franchise in 2018, he has had two below-par seasons with Sunrisers. Priyam Garg can follow Pandey in the line-up and can show the world what he has got. This is an ideal platform for him to showcase his talent.
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The real strength of the side follows after their batting line-up. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rashid Khan have been spearheading the attack over the years. Bhuvi is currently suffering from sports hernia, which has kept him out of the Indian team for a while now. He will also miss India’s upcoming tour to New Zealand starting from January 24. Before that, he will miss the T20I series against Sri Lanka and the ODI series against Australia at home. It is expected that Bhuvi’s recovery might take at least a month, however, the final word can be said on it only after the doctor’s inspection. With the IPL expected to start sometime in April, Bhuvi has three months to get himself fit and make himself available for selection. Also with the World T20 scheduled in October in Australia next year, Bhuvi will be a key member of the Indian squad.
Apart from Bhuvi and Rashid, Khaleel, Sandeep, Kaul and Nadeem can complete the bowling line-up. With the balance of the team slightly more towards bowling, this is the best possible predicted line-up for SRH.
Batting Heavy Predicted Line-up of SRH
David Warner, Jonny Bairstow, Manish Pandey, Mitchell Marsh, Vijay Shankar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, Sandeep Sharma, Siddharth Kaul, Shahbaz Nadeem
There have been occasions in the IPL when Sunrisers have missed an additional batsman in the line-up especially in chases. Warner and Bairstow have been doing the task of scoring runs for SRH over the years and they will need to play an extra batsman to get the pressure off their shoulders. Mitchell Marsh can be added in the batting line-up in place of an Indian pacer. Marsh is an all-rounder as well, therefore, he can do the job both with bat and ball. This also might see their regular skipper Kane Williamson sit out for one odd game along with one other Indian batter in Priyam Garg. Instead of Garg, someone like a Vijay Shankar with his all-round abilities can be added into the squad. Despite the changes, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rashid Khan will still continue to lead the attack with the rest of the attack remaining same. This looks the best batting heavy predicted line-up of SRH.
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Bowling Heavy Predicted Line-up of RR
David Warner, Jonny Bairstow, Manish Pandey, Mitchell Marsh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, Sandeep Sharma, Siddharth Kaul, Shahbaz Nadeem, Billy Stanlake
Someone like Billy Stankale who is tall and hits the length continuously can be added in matches where they want to add that extra to their bowling line-up. At Wankhede, Mohali and Eden Gardens where pitches have extra pace, Stanlake might make it hard for the batsmen using his height to his advantage. While in pitches like Chennai where it assists the spinners Rashid and Nadeem being different kind of spinners can pose a threat for the opposition batsmen.
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The addition of an extra bowler might again see Williamson sit out. The team management after the auctions spoke about the possibility of Williamson being rotated as per the requirement of the team. In matches where he misses out, Warner will replace him as the skipper of the side. This completes the bowling heavy predicted line-up for SRH, who were the IPL champions in 2016.