IPL 2020: 5 opening options for Sunrisers Hyderabad
While most things didn't work for Sunrisers Hyderabad last season, one thing that certainly did was the explosive opening duo of David Warner and Jonny Bairstow. In fact, the Sunrisers' top-order has always been their strength. While it was captain Kane Williamson in 2018, it was the Warner-Bairstow pair in 2019.
All these big names will be on show this year as well. Also, because their middle-order has been a little shaky in the past few seasons, it becomes extremely important for the openers to give strong starts to the side.
Here are the 5 opening options that SRH will have at their disposal in IPL 2020.
#5 Wriddhiman Saha
Because of injuries and the inclusion of Johnny Bairstow in the side, Wriddhiman Saha missed quite a few matches last season. Saha has been mostly used as an opener by SRH. And while he hasn't given explosive starts to the team, the 35-year-old has been steady at the top. With Bairstow in the side, Saha might not be SRH's first-choice wicket-keeper but in the case of the Englishman's unavailability, he'll likely get the nod as both the wicket-keeper as well as the opener.
#4 Abhishek Sharma
Abhishek Sharma shot to prominence after his good show in the U-19 World Cup in 2018. Sharma is a hard hitter of the ball and is predominantly used in the lower middle-order. However, the all-rounder opened the innings for his state side Punjab in the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy and it won't be a surprise if SRH also give him the license to go for the kill as an opener.
#3 Kane Williamson
Kane Williamson had an exceptional IPL 2018 where he finished as the highest run-getter of the tournament. The Kiwi skipper did not have a great IPL 2019 and will look to make a strong comeback in this year's edition of the T20 extravaganza. Even though Williamson bats at number three, he is more than equipped to open the innings as well. In fact, he has opened the innings for SRH in the past and has been reasonably successful.
#2 Jonny Bairstow
Jonny Bairstow made a stunning debut in the IPL last season. The Englishman plundered 445 runs in ten games at a staggering average of 55.62 and a high strike-rate of 157.24. Bairstow has been in and out of the national side and with the T20 World Cup coming up, it will be important for him to have a good IPL season.
#1 David Warner
David Warner has been the backbone of Sunrisers Hyderabad's batting line-up for years now. After missing out on IPL 2018 due to his ban, Warner made a remarkable comeback last year. Despite playing just 12 matches, he finished the season as the leading run-scorer. The swashbuckling Aussie struck 692 runs at a jaw-dropping average of 69.20 and a healthy strike-rate of 143.86. Warner will look to extend his purple patch in IPL 2020.