The only team with a non-Indian captain in the Indian Premier League, SunRisers Hyderabad would aim to go one step ahead of their last year's runner-up finish. (More Cricket News)
SRH were going through a tough time after their last play-off appearance in 2020. Not only did they fail to make the play-offs in the next three season but they also finished last on two occasions. Last year, Pat Cummins was handed the reigns of the franchise and Travis Head brought in as the opener.
This totally changed their fortunes and they made it to the final on the back of one of the most monstrous batting performances ever seen in the league. Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma formed a lethal duo at the top while Heinrich Klaasen added fire in the middle order. Nitish Kumar Reddy too chipped in and SRH put up towering total every other day. The bowling was held together by Cummins and Natarajan who is now gone to Delhi Capitals.
Can SRH take the next step and win the trophy this year or another tough season is loading? Here we take a look.
SunRisers Hyderabad Full Squad
Pat Cummins, Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Travis Head, Mohammad Shami, Harshal Patel, Ishan Kishan, Rahul Chahar, Adam Zampa, Atharva Taide, Abhinav Manohar, Simarjeet Singh, Zeeshan Ansari, Jaydev Unadkat, Kamindu Mendis, Aniket Verma, Eshan Malinga, Sachin Baby, Wiaan Mulder.
SRH retained their core with as many as five retentions ahead of the mega auction. Pat Cummins, Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen and Travis Head were retained. Ishan Kishan was their costliest buy at the auction while Mohammed Shami's inclusion too forced them to shell out a large sum. Harshal Patel and Rahul Chahar were the other notable Indian signings.
Strength
SRH's top five might look like this in the upcoming season: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen. This is enough to send shivers down the spines of every bowling line-up in the league. Karnataka's Abhinav Manohar too would add firepower in the lower order. There is a strong case for this being the most powerful batting line-up in the league.
Weakness
SRH's bowling could be a cause of concern. They have lost Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and T Natarajan and replaced them with Mohammed Shami and Harshal Patel. Shami is injury prone and Harshal on the flat Hyderabad wickets could go for plenty. Their lead spinner Rahul Chahar has also not been in the best of form in recent times. That leaves too much on the shoulders of Cummins and Adam Zampa, if he plays.
Also, their fourth foreign player is weak. Cummins, Head and Klaasen will start but one of Zampa, Kamindu Mendis, Eshan Malinga and Wiaan Mulder will have to be played as the fourth overseas player in the XI. Apart from Zampa, the other three do not have IPL experience. And playing Zampa would mean resting Chahar or fielding two leg spinners.
Opportunities
With the batting order even more stronger, SRH would want to go a step ahead and get the trophy. They also have the opportunity to create more batting records and perhaps get the first 300 in IPL history.
Threats
SRH have signed only 20 players which is the least this season alongside Rajasthan Royals. That leaves them in a precarious position when it comes to injuries to their starting XI players. Another threat that SRH will face is batting against quality bowling. While they have a dangerous batting unit, as we saw in the play-offs last year, against quality bowling their star batters might struggle.
SRH IPL 2025 Full Schedule
March 23: vs Rajasthan Royals, Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad - 3:30 PM
March 27: vs Lucknow Super Giants, Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad - 7:30 PM
March 30: vs Delhi Capitals, Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Vizag - 3:30 PM
April 3: vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Eden Gardens, Kolkata - 7:30 PM
April 6: vs Gujarat Titans, Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad - 7:30 PM
April 12: vs Punjab Kings, Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad - 7:30 PM
April 17: vs Mumbai Indians, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai - 7:30 PM
April 23: vs Mumbai Indians, Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad - 7:30 PM
April 25: vs Chennai Super Kings, M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai - 7:30 PM
May 2: vs Gujarat Titans, Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad - 7:30 PM
May 5: vs Delhi Capitals, Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad - 7:30 PM
May 10: vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad - 7:30 PM
May 13: vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru, M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru - 7:30 PM
May 18: vs Lucknow Super Giants, BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow - 7:30 PM
