SRH LOOK TO CONTINUE THEIR GOOD RUN
When the Sunrisers Hyderabad won the IPL in 2016, other teams with far stronger teams on paper. They still managed to win and shocked just about everyone from pundits to casual fans of the game.
SRH quietly made their way into the playoffs, and they never looked back. From there on, they brought their A game to each match and sealed the trophy with a thrilling 8-run victory against the Royal Challengers Bangalore, inflicting a brutal 3rd final defeat to their southern neighbors.
SRH would know better than to bask in their past glory; even a small drop in concentration might hurt your chances of progress. As the defending Champions in 2017, unlike the previous year, they succumbed to the pressure when it mattered the most, finishing 3rd by the end of the league stages.
While returning to IPL 2018, the think tank of the team will be looking to improve on team’s response during these pressure situations. This responsibility will rest on the shoulder of each and every team player and not just the manager and the support staff.
How to implement every plan A and plan B chalked out by the team’s seniors is completely up to the players on the ground. After all, a coach can do only so much. On the match days, it is up to the Captain to make sure spirits are high.
Main headline players in Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2018
Sunrisers Hyderabad captain David Warner Photo by Shaun Roy / IPL / SPORTZPICS
Tom Moody will be the coach of SRH and David Warner will the captain of SRH for IPL 2018. Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium continues to be SRH home ground for IPL 2018.
Given his proven track record as the Captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad, there was little doubt that the team management would retain David Warner as their captain, no matter how big a price they had to pay for him. They eventually bought him for 12 crores.
Another buy for which the SRH paid a big price was Manish Pandey. At 11 crores, Pandey was the most expensive batsman in IPL 2018 auction.
One of the biggest assets for SRH every year, Bhuvneshwar Kumar was retained for 8.5 crores for IPL 2018. Their star bowler of 2017, Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan, was also retained for IPL 2018, priced at a high 9 crores.
SRH also managed to retain Shikhar Dhawan at 5.2 crores, after initially letting him slip through their fingers.
A big steal for them this year has been New Zealand’s star batsman Kane Williamson, for whom they will only have to pay 3 crores. Together with Warner, Dhawan and Manish Pandey, Williamson will lead the charge with the bat. Shakib Al Hasan, who has been the World’s best all-rounder for a long time, has also been grabbed by Hyderabad for only 2 crores.
SRH is one of the few teams in the entire league which emphasizes more on their bowlers than the batsman. Following the same theme, they have managed to get as many as 11 bowlers this season, without counting any of the all-rounders.
Lack of options in the batting department will certainly put pressure on the Sunrisers Hyderabad Squad. However, despite a bowling-heavy focus, they still won the IPL in 2016. They still have the team spirit and leadership that carried them through all the way to the title. Who is to say they can’t do it in IPL 2018 as well.
List of Players bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad at IPL 2018 Auction
Player | Country | Price | Specialization |
David Warner | Australia | 12 crores | Batsman |
Manish Pandey | India | 11 crores | Batsman |
Rashid Khan | Afghanistan | 9 crores | Bowler |
Bhuvneshwar Kumar | India | 8.5 crores | Bowler |
Shikhar Dhawan | India | 5.2 crores | Batsman |
Wriddhiman Saha | India | 5 crores | Wicket-keeper |
Siddarth Kaul | India | 3.8 crores | Bowler |
Deepak Hooda | India | 3.6 crores | All-rounder |
Kane Williamson | New Zealand | 3 crores | Batsman |
Khaleel Ahmed | India | 3 crores | Bowler |
Sandeep Sharma | India | 3 crores | Bowler |
Shakib Al Hasan | Bangladesh | 2 crores | All-rounder |
Carlos Braithwaite | West Indies | 2 crores | All-rounder |
Yusuf Pathan | India | 1.9 crore | All-rounder |
Mohammad Nabi | Afghanistan | 1 crores | All-rounder |
Chris Jordan | England | 1 crore | All-rounder |
Sreevats Goswami | India | 1 crore | Wicket-keeper |
Basil Thampi | India | 95 lakhs | Bowler |
Billy Stanlake | Australia | 50 lakhs | Bowler |
T Natarajan | India | 40 lakhs | Bowler |
Ricky Bhui | India | 20 lakhs | Batsman |
Sachin Baby | India | 20 lakhs | Batsman |
Tanmay Agarwal | India | 20 lakhs | Batsman |
Bipul Sharma | India | 20 lakhs | All-rounder |
Mehdi Hasan | India | 20 lakhs | All-rounder |