3 former SRH players who will be crucial for their current teams in IPL 2023
The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have undergone a revamp of late in the Indian Premier League (IPL), but have managed to retain some of their core.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar and T Natarajan have been part of SRH's core for a few years now, while youngsters like Abdul Samad and Umran Malik have had their first taste of IPL action with the franchise.
Unfortunately, though, Hyderabad have had to let a few names go and these players have gone on to become integral parts of other IPL sides. Here are three former SRH players who will be crucial for their current teams in IPL 2023.
#3 Khaleel Ahmed
Khaleel Ahmed played 24 matches for SRH, bagging 32 wickets at an economy rate of 8.69. During the IPL 2022 mega-auction, the left-arm pacer made his way to the Delhi Capitals, for whom he has scalped 16 wickets at 8.04.
Khaleel was one of DC's premier pacemen in IPL 2022 and the same is expected to continue this year. Although the Capitals attempted to boost their domestic pace-bowling contingent at the IPL 2023 auction, the 25-year-old is probably still going to be one of the leaders of the attack.
Khaleel is currently on the sidelines, with the pacer finding it difficult to stay healthy. He should be fine by the time the IPL rolls around, though, and will have a big role to play.
#2 Jonny Bairstow
Another player who has played for only two franchises in the IPL, Jonny Bairstow, made his debut in the league for the Orange Army. In 29 matches for SRH, the dashing batter scored 1,038 runs at an average of 41.52 and a strike rate of 142.19.
SRH couldn't hold on to Bairstow, though, and the Punjab Kings gleefully snapped him up at the IPL 2022 mega-auction. In 11 matches for PBKS, the Englishman managed 253 runs at an average of 23 and a strike rate of 144.57 and will be desperate to turn things around in the upcoming season.
Bairstow is currently recovering from a freak injury he sustained on a golf course and hasn't played a competitive game of cricket since August 2022. He too should be fit for the IPL and will be one of the Kings' key men as they attempt to kickstart the post-Mayank Agarwal era in fine fashion.
#1 Jason Holder
Jason Holder will be part of his fifth IPL side during the upcoming season when he represents the Rajasthan Royals, who acquired him at the 2023 auction. The tall all-rounder turned out in orange 16 times, making more appearances than he has made for any other IPL franchise.
In those matches, Holder scored 167 runs and picked up as many as 31 wickets. He came into his own as a bowler in the 2020 and 2021 campaigns, recording 30 scalps at a good economy rate. While the West Indian's role was rather small at LSG last year, he should be in the thick of things for RR.
Holder will bridge the massive gap the Royals had between the batting and bowling departments during IPL 2022. He is bound to be one of Sanju Samson's most trusted players when the league commences in a couple of months.