3 players SRH should release after IPL 2024 ft. Abdul Samad
The SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) were so near, yet so far in the IPL 2024 season as they made the final, only to be absolutely battered by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Pat Cummins and Co. could only post 113 on the big night and were comprehensively beaten by eight wickets.
Despite the disappointment on May 26, SRH should be proud of how they played as their explosive batting and ultra-attacking brand of cricket helped them get that far in the tournament.
Big names like Travis Head and Heinrich Klaasen, and young Indian stars like Abhishek Sharma and Nitish Kumar Reddy prospered under the leadership of Pat Cummins. This gives the SunRisers plenty of options when it comes to retentions ahead of the potential mega auction.
However, there are a few players that SRH may need to let go of and one may argue that the decision could be for the betterment of both the franchise and the player. On that note, let's take a look at three such players:
#3 Marco Jansen
Marco Jansen was one of the main players for the SunRisers Eastern Cape in both their SA20 title wins with the balance he provided with his all-round skills. His ability to swing the new ball and be a more than handy batter down the order makes him a good fit for most T20 teams.
However, Jansen hasn't quite clicked at SRH and IPL 2024 was another example of the same. He played just three games, picking up a solitary wicket and at an appalling economy rate of 12.90.
With the likes of Head, Klaasen, and Cummins being mainstays in Hyderabad's XI, Jansen had to miss out on most of the games in IPL 2024. If his T20 form with South Africa doesn't improve, he might be one of the first names on the list of released SRH players.
#2 Umran Malik
The world was at Umran Malik's feet when the speedster burst onto the scene during a stellar IPL 2022 season. In 14 games, Umran picked up 22 wickets and also made his Team India debut. However, the fall from grace for the speedster has been a mix of both poor form and lack of backing.
In IPL 2023, the Jammu & Kashmir speedster played just eight matches, picking up five wickets at an economy rate of 10.85. A change of captain and coach didn't affect Umran's fortunes as he got just a solitary game in IPL 2024, where he bowled one over and conceded 15 runs.
Umran Malik needs to be given confidence and perhaps being let go by the SunRisers could be in the best interest of both parties.
#1 Abdul Samad
The one name on this list who has been given enough backing but hasn't delivered is Abdul Samad. Another prodigy from Jammu and Kashmir, Samad has been with the SunRisers since IPL 2020, featuring in 50 IPL games, a decent sample size to judge someone's performance.
However, in this period, he has scored just 577 runs at an average of 19.23. This case is similar to that of Rajasthan Royals and Riyan Parag. The Royals showed patience with Riyan and the youngster delivered with a fantastic IPL 2024 season. But are SRH willing to let Samad bat higher in their batting line-up in the future?
At just 22 years of age, Samad has his prime ahead of him. However, it is now a question of SRH's patience, especially given the fact that the youngster was one of their three retentions ahead of the previous mega auction. Maybe a change of scenery could bring a better future for Samad.