3 teams who should target Ashutosh Sharma in IPL 2025 Auction ft. Sunrisers Hyderabad
The Punjab Kings made the strange call of releasing their star batter Ashutosh Sharma ahead of the IPL 2025 auction. This was quite astonishing given that he had scored 189 runs from nine innings last season and was stellar with the bat in hand.
Sharma scored his runs at an extremely impressive strike rate of 167.25, and it will be interesting to see which franchises would like to add him to their ranks for the upcoming season. His highest score was 61 last season.
The lower middle-order batter will add a lot of firepower to any franchise he moves to in the auction, and it will be exciting to see him do well for his new team. The 26-year-old is also known for rolling his arms over on the odd occasion.
In this listicle, we take a look at three teams who should target Sharma in the auction:
#1 Sunrisers Hyderabad
Sunrisers Hyderabad, the runners-up of IPL 2024, will be keen on bringing Sharma into their fold given that he can add a lot of firepower to them in the lower middle-order. He is a good lower-order hitter, and SRH can make good use of him.
With their Indian core of Abhishek Sharma and Nitish Kumar Reddy, SRH will be keen on adding Sharma to it and increasing their productivity in the middle-order. He will enjoy batting on the placid surface of Uppal as well.
Given that most of their batters like batting at the top order, Sharma can provide joyful relief lower down the order in the slog overs. He is known to clear the boundary with ease, and he will have a lot to offer the franchise.
#2 Gujarat Titans
Gujarat Titans are another franchise who will be keen on adding some depth to their middle order, and Sharma can be the right candidate. Given that Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Shahrukh Khan and Rahul Tewatia form their Indian core, it will be exciting to see Sharma added to this list.
In fact, Sharma and Khan can form a deadly combination for GT in the lower middle order. These two batters can increase their flow of runs towards the end when the bowling of the opposition becomes tight. Sharma and Khan both have a lot of innovative shots up their sleeve, and will enjoy batting together.
#3 Rajasthan Royals
Rajasthan Royals, a franchise famous for grooming Indian talent, seem to be but a natural hub for Sharma to ply his trade next in the IPL. The Madhya Pradesh batter will be treated with a lot of respect at RR and given the freedom to flourish.
Although their Indian core of Sanju Samson, Yashaswi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel and Riyan Parag seems pretty well-settled at the moment, it goes without saying that Sharma's inclusion will make it seem all the more attractive.
Samson, Jaiswal and Parag are all top-order batters while Jurel too can fit in there. Sharma, however, will give RR a major boost in the lower middle order with his spectacular shots and composed nature, and that is why the franchise will be keen on purchasing him.