IPL 2019: Analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of each team

#8 Sunrisers Hyderabad

SRH are arguably are the league's most balanced side

Squad: Yusuf Pathan, Rashid Khan, Shakib Al Hasan, David Warner, Mohammad Nabi, Martin Guptill, Abhishek Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha, Basil Thampi, Billy Stanlake, Ricky Bhui, Khaleel Ahmed, Deepak Hooda, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Natarajan, Sandeep Sharma, Kane Williamson, Shahbaz Nadeen, Jonny Bairstow, Manish Pandey, Vijay Shankar, Siddarth Kaul, Shreevats Goswami

Strengths

Sunrisers Hyderabad's biggest strength is their balance. Not a single player is usually tasked with a mammoth-sized job, which goes to portray how well-constructed they are. Each player has his own little role to play in the team or in a given situation.

And with David Warner set to return, this team can only look upwards. Kane Williamson is probably the most reliable batsman in the league, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar is highly dependable with the ball.

The inclusion of Jonny Bairstow, who just can't seem to find a way to get out, is another big addition.

Weaknesses

At the moment, it's hard to pick weaknesses in this squad. But, player availability remains a concern, as David Warner (Australia tour of UAE), Kane Williamson (back injury) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (India's WC preparations) are three big names who may miss out at some point or the other.

Shakib Al Hasan's availability is a massive concern as well, as the all-rounder is beset with injury.

Verdict

SRH can very well go the distance this time around, it's just about holding their nerves in crunch situations. Either one of the top order batters will have to play long innings consistently, as the finishers haven't done a whole lot of work over a sustained period of time.