IPL 2022 Auction: SRH's strongest playing XI on paper

After retaining three players ahead of the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) put together a competitive squad with some smart domestic acquisitions.

While there are question marks over the atmosphere within the franchise, SRH have a stable captain and talented young players who can have breakthrough seasons.

SRH's squad for IPL 2022: Kane Williamson, Umran Malik, Abdul Samad, Washington Sundar, Nicholas Pooran, T Natarajan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Priyam Garg, Rahul Tripathi, Abhishek Sharma, Kartik Tyagi, Shreyas Gopal, J Suchith, Aiden Markram, Marco Jansen, Romario Shepherd, Sean Abbott, R Samarth, Shashank Singh, Saurabh Dubey, Vishnu Vinod, Glenn Phillips, Fazalhaq Farooqi

Here is SRH's strongest playing XI for the IPL 2022 season.

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Openers: Kane Williamson (c), Abhishek Sharma

ICC U19 Cricket World Cup - India v Papua New Guinea

The SRH think tank has confirmed that they're looking towards Kane Williamson and young Abhishek Sharma to open the innings for the team in IPL 2022, and that seems like a good move. Abhishek's immense batting potential is yet to be tapped into in the IPL, and his handy left-arm spin gives SRH another bowling option in the top six.

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Middle Order: Aiden Markram, Rahul Tripathi, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Abdul Samad

South Africa Nets Session

Three new faces can be expected to man SRH's middle order in IPL 2022. The franchise has often struggled to get a move on in the middle overs, with names like Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav and Vijay Shankar having failed to deliver.

However, with new overseas signings Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran, apart from a middle-overs enforcer in Rahul Tripathi, the Orange Army have taken a massive step towards fixing the problems that have plagued them over the last few overs. Abdul Samad, retained for a meager INR 4 crore, adds weight to the middle order as a big-hitting finisher at No. 6.

The likes of Priyam Garg and Glenn Phillips will serve as backup options.

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All-rounders: Washington Sundar, Romario Shepherd

West Indies v England - T20 International Series Second T20I

Washington Sundar has been laid low by a spate of injuries recently, but the young all-rounder is a valuable T20 commodity when fit. As a restrictive spinner who can contribute with the bat, he will be crucial to SRH's chances in IPL 2022.

INR 7.75-crore signing Romario Shepherd will be SRH's primary pace-bowling all-rounder this year. Capable of clocking 140 kmph and striking a few lusty blows down the order, the dynamic Windies player might be an understated buy for the franchise.

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Bowlers: Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kartik Tyagi, Umran Malik

South Africa v India - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019

Apart from the retained Umran Malik, who is one of the most exciting fast bowlers in India right now, SRH can call upon the services of veteran Bhuvneshwar Kumar and the promising Kartik Tyagi. T Natarajan is another option, but the left-arm seamer has struggled with fitness over the last few months.

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SRH's strongest playing XI: Kane Williamson (c), Abhishek Sharma, Aiden Markram, Rahul Tripathi, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Abdul Samad, Washington Sundar, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kartik Tyagi, Umran Malik