Though their on-field results were far from spectacular in the previous season, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) may have one of the most balanced squads heading into the Indian Premier League 2024 auction on December 19. SRH, the 2016 IPL champions, had 10 losses and just 4 victories in the 2023 edition, which put them last on the points table. A dismal IPL 2023 was caused by too much experimentation, ineffective leadership, and an inexperienced short-format coach.
Brian Lara was replaced for the upcoming season by Daniel Vettori, a former cricket player for New Zealand. Since 2019, this is SRH’s fourth head coach. Vettori led Royal Challengers Bangalore to the 2016 championship game before they were defeated by SRH while serving as head coach there from 2014 to 2018.
The Sunrisers have shown confidence in their core group from the previous season by holding onto 19 players for Rs 66 crore heading into the IPL 2024 auction. They have six spots open, including three for foreign players, and the second-biggest purse of all the sides, which is Rs 34 crore.
SRH’s strategy for IPL 2024 auction
The SRH team can do better in some areas, even though they seem powerful on paper. The priority for SRH is to find a capable spinner to fill the vacuum left by Rashid Khan’s exit and, more recently, the releases of Adil Rashid and Akeal Hosein. While they do have capable all-around players in Mayank Markande, Abhishek Sharma, Aiden Markram, and Glenn Philips, having a strong full-time spinner would give the club another dimension of strength.
Wanindu Hasaranga (base price Rs 1.5 crore) from Sri Lanka, who was released by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), might be the first pick. As an alternative, Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi (base price: Rs 1.5 crore) seems like a good fit. The squad can bid on Hrithik Shokeen, Murugan Ashwin, or Shreyas Gopal if they choose to use a local spinner.
Harry Brook cost the Sunrisers Rs 13.25 crore (9 times his base price) to acquire in the batting department, but the Englishman did not provide the needed impact. In 11 games, he amassed 190 runs. The management can rebid for him, although at a reduced cost. Additionally, Daryl Mitchell of New Zealand (base price Rs 1 crore), who had an outstanding 2023 ODI World Cup, also completely fits the bill. SRH may be considering Indian actors Shahrukh Khan (base price of Rs 40 lakhs) and Urvil Patel (base price of Rs 20 lakhs).
Though identifying the perfect playing 11 and acquiring backups should be the management’s top priorities during the IPL 2024 auction, there aren’t many major issues with the Sunrisers team overall.
