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No other franchise made heads turn with their retention choices ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction the way Sunrisers Hyderabad did. Their team combination and performance of retained players will be in focus when they take on Rajasthan Royals in their opening match of IPL 2022 on Tuesday in Pune.
That David Warner and the SRH management had chosen different paths was evident last year itself but the franchise’s decision not to retain Rashid Khan, perhaps the most high-profile T20 spinner in world cricket currently, raised cricket fans’ eyebrows in unison. That was not all, their other two retentions apart from the obvious one of captain Kane Williamson were rookies Abdul Samad and Umran Malik.
Yes, the latter has raw pace and impressed in his three matches last year but warranting retention is something even Malik would have brushed aside as wishful thinking. Abdul Samad was another one. Despite his big-hitting prowess, the Jammu and Kashmir all-rounder hasn’t really set the stage on fire in the two seasons that he has played so far.
The Orange Army’s decision to back youngsters was further established when they played a punt by buying back all-rounder Abhishek Sharma and batter Priyam Garg.
Among overseas players, SRH splurged the cash on Nicholas Pooran and Romario Shepherd, both of whom have been in top form in the shortest format of the game.
Here is SRH Predicted XI vs RR
Rahul Tripathi: Rising Pune Supergiants, Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata Knight Riders – Rahul Tripathi has played match-winning knocks at the top of the order for all the franchises he has represented so far in the IPL. Perhaps that was one of the major reasons why SRH spent ₹8.5 crore on the right-hander. Tripathi scored more than 400 runs while opening the batting for KKR last year and he would be looking to do the same this time for SRH.
Abhishek Sharma: The left-hander was tried at the top of the order by SRH towards the end of last season. It would be an overstatement to say he was a runaway success but Sharma did show glimpses of the destruction he is capable of when in song.
Kane Williamson (c): With no David Warner, captain Kane Williamson has the big responsibility of shepherding the SRH batting unit. The New Zealand great has not been at his best of late but one shouldn’t count out a player of Williamson’s quality.
Aiden Markram: The South Africa international was a part of the Punjab Kings squad last year and did have his moments but what SRH would hope from Markram is match-changing performances at number 4, which the right-hander is very capable of delivering consistently.
Nicholas Pooran (wk): After 85 runs in 11 matches for Punjab Kings last season, Nicholas Pooran should consider himself lucky for bagging ₹10.75 crore from SRH in the mega auction this year. To be fair to the left-hander and the SRH management, Pooran has been in a stellar form of late for West Indies. He was in fact, West Indies’ top performer with the bat against England and India.
Abdul Samad: Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan expects big things from Samad and after the retention, it takes no prize to guess that SRH think on similar lines. Samad has the power, has the timing but does he have the mental toughness and the technical adjustment to dish out the big hits at this level regularly? The first phase of IPL 2022 is sure to provide the answers.
Washington Sundar: Looked at as almost a certainty in India’s T20 unit, Washington Sundar’s career has been pegged back slightly by the untimely injuries but a new team – he was previously a part of the RCB setup – and a solid season in IPL can bring him back in the mix. With no Rashid Khan and very few spin options to choose from, SRH will heavily rely on Sundar’s economical off-spin to put the brakes on the opposition.
Romario Shepherd: The West Indies youngster has a T20 strike rate of close to 160. Coupled with his handy medium-fast bowling, Shepherd could well do the job Jason Holder had done so well for Sunrisers in the last IPL. SRH spent ₹7.75 crore on Shepherd.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar: The veteran seamer’s performance in the last couple of home series against West Indies and Sri Lanka reestablished his position as one of India’s best white-ball seamers. SRH didn’t have to work hard in the auctions to get Kumar’s services back. He will be the leader of what promises to be an exciting pace battery.
T Natarajan: Another one of SRH’s proven performers and another one at the wrong end of injuries. T Natarajan would be hungry to get his spot back in the Indian limited-overs setup and no better way than having a solid season to push the case.
Umran Malik: Easily one of the quickest bowlers in the IPL, young Umran Malik will attract a lot of eyeballs when he runs in to bowl in the first match against RR on Tuesday.
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