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It’s wrong to view the Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction as the prologue to a bestselling story. It’s a story in itself, one that is consumed by India’s cricket maniacs as fervently as the on-field action that goes on for nearly two months every year.
With the addition of two new franchises, Lucknow Supergiants and Gujarat Titans, the razzmatazz surrounding the cash-rich league is only bound to get louder from this year onwards. After two days of intense bidding, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have managed to assemble a formidable 23-member squad worth ₹89.90 crore.
From pipping Kolkata Knight Riders in a bidding war for Caribbean wicketkeeper Nicholas Pooran to grabbing his hard-hitting compatriot Romario Shepherd, the 2016 IPL champions certainly had their moments at the weekend’s auction in Bengaluru.
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SRH’s spin-bowling coach Muttiah Muralitharan believes that they’ve got all their bases covered. But what about the ideal team combination? How will they deal with Rashid Khan’s absence? What was the logic behind shelling out ₹10.75 crore for Pooran, who had a forgettable campaign with Punjab Kings last season? What is he thinking about Washington Sundar and what are the franchise’s expectations from Bhuvneshwar Kumar?
Sportskeeda spoke exclusively to the Sri Lankan legend on Monday to analyze SRH’s auction strategy and seek answers to the above-mentioned questions.
Here are the excerpts:
Q: The past couple of days must have left you exhausted. How satisfied are you with the look of the new Sunrisers Hyderabad squad?
Murali: Yes, it [the auction] was a bit tiring, but we enjoyed ourselves too. I would say we’ve got 80 percent of our plans right. We didn’t get the remaining 20 percent right because we couldn’t acquire Ishan Kishan. Had we purchased him, it would’ve been a perfect squad. We’re quite pleased with Nicholas Pooran’s addition though.
Q: Pooran had a dismal IPL campaign last season. Wasn’t it a big gamble to buy him for an exorbitant amount like ₹10.75 crore?
Murali: As I said, we initially wanted to buy Kishan. But once his bid crossed our budget, we were forced to look for alternatives. Yes, [Jonny] Bairstow was available, but we had doubts on whether he would be available for the entire season. We wanted an international wicketkeeper who would be available for all the games, so we thought Pooran was the right choice once Kishan slipped away.
[On Pooran’s form last season] We believe that he’ll do well for us. And the fact that he was sold for such a high price proves that many other franchises desperately wanted him in their squads. Surely, we’re not the only ones [laughs]!
Q: Now in hindsight, how do you view the retentions of Abdul Samad and Umran Malik? Do you think you could’ve bought them at lower prices had you released them into the auction pool, and used the remaining purse to acquire more expensive international players?
Murali: There will always be many ifs and buts after a mega auction. However, we think we’ve done the best possible job given the auction dynamics.
Samad is a great talent. I think he would’ve been sold for a much higher price [than ₹4 crore] had we released him. He has the same potential as Shahrukh Khan. You saw Shahrukh’s final bidding price [₹9 crore], didn’t you? I think we retained Umran at a low price [₹4 crore] as well.
Q: Sunrisers have assembled an army of pacers as usual. Will your retained player, Umran Malik, get enough chances in the playing XI?
Murali: Look, we’ll play a minimum of 18 matches, so we need a big pool of players. There will be injuries in the squad; we need to be well prepared for such circumstances.
You’ll find a lot of variety in our pace attack. We’re quite happy with each of them – Bhuvi [Bhuvneshwar Kumar], T Natarajan, Umran, Romario [Shepherd] Kartik [Tyagi], Marco [Jansen], Sean [Abbott] and Fazalhaq [Farooqi]. We’ll mix and match them in order to keep them fit. We’re very excited about Marco. He can be a match-winner if he stays fit.
Q: Both Bhuvneshwar and Natarajan have been quite injury-prone, yet Sunrisers decided to buy them back at the auction. What are your expectations from them this season? Will Bhuvneshwar lead the pace attack?
Murali: [On Bhuvneshwar leading the SRH pace attack] Yes, that’s the plan for now. What Bhuvi has done for us over the years is incredible. We count on his experience and believe that he’ll regain his form soon. He’ll come good for us, don’t worry.
[On Natarajan] We needed five backup pacers, so we went for him. He’s definitely a good bowler who just needs to find his rhythm. We’ll take good care of them [smiles].
Q: Sunrisers have also bought Romario Shepherd for a whopping ₹7.75 crore. How much of your batting coach Brian Lara’s input has gone into making this purchase?
Murali: It was a collective decision. Everyone in the Sunrisers think tank, including the captain [Kane Williamson], wanted Romario in the team. Being a West Indian, Brian did give us some additional input about both Pooran and him. I’m sure Brian will get the best out of their batting.
Q: You also went quite hard for Abhishek Sharma, eventually getting him for ₹6.5 crore. Since he has been groomed by this franchise, are you looking at him as a future poster boy for Sunrisers?
Murali: Abhishek was pretty much part of our initial plans. He was in and out of the side last season, but we want him to assume greater responsibility this time. We want him to open the batting alongside Kane. That will help us get a good left-hand, right-hand combination at the top.
Obviously, our goal is to win the title this season, but we have to plan for the next three years as well. That’s why the mega auction is so crucial for every team. We want Abhishek, [Priyam] Garg and Samad to contribute heavily and become the faces of the team going forward.
Q: With the presence of batters like Aiden Markram and Rahul Tripathi in the side, what should be the ideal batting order for SRH this season?
Murali: As I said, Kane and Abhishek will open the batting. They will be followed by Aiden at 3, Rahul at 4, Pooran at 5, Samad at 6 and Washington [Sundar] at 7. That’s our tentative top seven.
Q: What about your spin department? You'll surely miss Rashid Khan. Were you disappointed when he rejected Sunrisers’ retention offer?
Murali: Rashid is a great bowler and an amazing person to work with. We wanted to retain him at a high price, but he wanted a better offer. That’s completely fair. We’re a bit disappointed because we don’t have him in our team. We tried our best [to retain him], but Ahmedabad [Gujarat Titans] gave him a better contract. I wish him all the best for his new journey.
We share many wonderful memories with Rashid and we’ll continue to be great friends. You’ve to understand that we couldn’t afford him for the price he wanted because we had already drawn up a budget for the auction. We had to make Kane our first retention because he’s our captain.
Q: What is your assessment of the Indian spin duo of Washington Sundar and Shreyas Gopal? How excited are you to mentor Sundar in particular?
Murali: They’re very talented Indian spinners and you might see them bowl in tandem on spinning tracks.
[About Sundar] I feel that he’s India’s leading off-spinner in limited overs cricket right now. He’s the future of Indian cricket. I’ll take proper care of him [smiles].
Q: It’s heartening to see five Sri Lankan cricketers get IPL contracts after a long time. Is this a good indication of Sri Lanka’s resurgence in international cricket?
Murali: Yes, it indeed is. The national team is gradually making a turnaround and you’ll see these youngsters bring back Sri Lanka’s past glory. When the IPL started, nine to ten Sri Lankan cricketers used to play regularly for their respective franchises. The number went down drastically for some time, but it has risen to five now. As part of Sri Lanka’s Cricket Committee, my colleagues and I are trying our best to promote young talent who can serve the country for a long time to come.
Q: What are your thoughts on Wanindu Hasaranga being snapped up by Royal Challengers Bangalore for ₹10.75 crore? Will the price tag weigh heavily on him?
Murali: No, I’m sure he’ll remain unaffected by the price tag. He’s a very smart cricketer who is blessed with a calm head. He’ll handle the pressure.
Q: The cricket fraternity is quite excited about Maheesh Theekshana. How would you rate him? Please tell us something about him.
Murali: Oh, he’s a great prospect! He’s an off-spinner, but more in the [Ajantha] Mendis mold. I recommended him to the SRH team management, but unfortunately he didn’t fit into our team combination. It’s good to see him bag an IPL contract. He has the potential to be the next bowling superstar in limited overs cricket.
Q: Last question. Like your good friend Sourav Ganguly, do you have the ambition to be at the helm of your country’s cricket administration?
Murali: Nah, not really [laughs]!
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