SRH’s strongest playing 11 after IPL Auction 2023

SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) endured a poor campaign in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, finishing eighth with only six wins from 14 games. They struggled to get their combinations right throughout the season, which took a toll on their performances.

SRH, who let go of their skipper Kane Williamson ahead of the IPL 2023 auction, did some good business when the teams met to fine-tune their squads in Kochi on Friday, December 23.

SRH strengthened their batting unit by signing Mayank Agarwal, Harry Brook, and Heinrich Klaasen, while Adil Rashid and Mayank Markande will add a lot of venom to their spin department.

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SRH squad: Abdul Samad, Aiden Markram, Rahul Tripathi, Glenn Phillips, Abhishek Sharma, Marco Jansen, Washington Sundar, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kartik Tyagi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Umran Malik, Harry Brook, Mayank Agarwal, Heinrich Klaasen, Adil Rashid, Mayank Markande, Vivrant Sharma, Samarth Vyas, Sanvir Singh, Upendra Yadav, Mayank Dagar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Akeal Hosein, and Anmolpreet Singh.

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Overall, they look like a good unit on paper and we take a look at their strongest playing 11s after IPL 2023 auction.

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Openers: Mayank Agarwal, Abhishek Sharma

SRH struggled badly due to a lack of good opening partnerships. While Abhishek Sharma starred occasionally, he lacked support from the other end. The franchise has roped in Indian opener Mayank Agarwal for a whopping ₹8.25 crore in a bid to solve the problem.

Although Mayank had a sub-par campaign in IPL 2022, scoring only 196 runs in 13 matches at a strike rate of 122.50, he can be really dangerous when he gets going. The Karnataka-born cricketer can bat according to the situation, which will come in handy for the SunRisers.

Abhishek, on the other hand, showed what he is capable of doing last season. The southpaw likes to take the attack to the opposition and will add a lot of impetus to SRH's batting.

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Middle order: Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Harry Brook, and Heinrich Klaasen

Rahul Tripathi was Hyderabad's best batter last season, amassing 413 runs, including three half-centuries, in 14 matches at a strike rate of almost 160. The right-handed batter is likely to retain his No. 3 spot, owing to his superlative showing in IPL 2022.

Aiden Markram also had a good IPL 2022 season, accumulating 381 runs in 14 games with the help of three fifties. He provided some much-needed firepower to the batting unit in the middle overs. The Proteas batter is expected to do a similar job this season.

England's newest sensation Harry Brook is the latest addition to the SRH lineup. SunRisers shelled ₹13.25 crore to sign the right-handed batter, who had a good outing this year, scoring 372 runs in 20 T20I matches at a strike rate of 137.77. He is likely to be a lynchpin in Hyderabad's batting department.

Heinrich Klaasen was also added to the SRH squad at the IPL 2023 auction. In addition to being dependable with the bat, Klaasen will also don the wicketkeeper's gloves. The right-handed batter has been in blistering form this year, smashing 238 runs in nine T20I innings at a strike rate of over 155.

Klaasen's game is typically suited to T20Is and he will have the role of pressing the gears in the final overs.

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All-rounder: Washington Sundar

Washington Sundar will don the all-rounder's hat in this Hyderabad lineup. The youngster will bowl his clever off-spin in different phases of the game, including in the powerplay phase.

He is also extremely useful with the bat and can play the long handle. His role will be immense if the Orange Army want to lift the trophy this year.

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Bowlers: Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Adil Rashid, T Natarajan, Umran Malik

Senior Indian pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar will lead SRH's bowling attack in IPL 2023. Bhuvneshwar, who was retained by the franchise ahead of the auction, has done the job for the team over the years and will bring in vast experience to the side.

Adil Rashid was signed by Hyderabad at the IPL 2023 auction for ₹2 crore. The England leg-spinner has been in exceptional form this year and played a significant role in the knockout games of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022.

He has picked up 23 wickets in 24 T20Is this year at an economy rate of 7.50. Rashid will pair up with Washington Sundar to lead SRH's spin unit.

T Natarajan came into the limelight with his superb performances in IPL 2020, which also led to his international debut in Australia. The left-arm pacer struggled with injuries in 2021 but stormed back into IPL 2022, picking up 18 wickets in 11 matches. Natarajan will add a lot of variety to this pace attack, given his ability to bowl slower and yorkers at will.

Umran Malik, the young fast bowler from Jammu and Kashmir, will complete this lineup. Since bursting onto the scene in IPL 2022 for his raw pace, Umran hasn't looked back. He picked up 22 wickets in 14 games, which also paved the way for his India debut.

The youngster is expected to be the X-factor in this line-up with his extra pace. However, he will have to work on his line and length to stop the extra flow of runs.

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SRH's strongest playing XI: Mayank Agarwal, Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Harry Brook, Heinrich Klaasen, Washington Sundar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Adil Rashid, T Natarajan, and Umran Malik.

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