IPL 2020: 5 all-rounders who can replace Shakib Al Hasan at SRH
In what came as a shocking revelation for Bangladesh cricket and the entire cricketing fraternity, Shakib Al Hasan was handed a ban of two years by the ICC for failing to report approaches by bookies on multiple occasions. One of the best all-rounders in the business, Shakib accepted his sanctions as he was found guilty on three charges under the ICC Anti Corruption Code.
Shakib, who will serve one year of a suspended ban, is expected to comply with the anti-corruption code of the apex body by attending their educational program and spreading awareness about the need to make the sport corruption-free. He will be allowed to resume his cricketing duties from next year, in October 2020.
As a result, the experienced campaigner will also miss the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) next year. This will be a huge loss for Sunrisers Hyderabad, as it leaves the franchise with a huge void to fill in place of a quality overseas all-rounder.
Though Shakib had very little role to play for SRH in the last season, he has been a consistent member of the side and a senior pro for Hyderabad in the past few years.
The upcoming IPL auction now becomes even more important for SRH as they will aim to get their act right in terms of the balance of their squad. The franchise will have certain all-rounders on their radar, who they can rely upon in IPL 2020.
Here, we take a look at five such all-rounders who can replace Shakib Al Hasan at SRH in IPL 2020:
#5 Mahmudullah
Hours after Shakib's ban was announced, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) nominated Mahmudullah as the man to lead Bangladesh in their upcoming T20I series against India. One of the senior members in the side, Mahmudullah has had the experience of captaining the national side and was asked to step up on another occasion for his team.
Being a prolific T20 player himself, the 33-year-old has a lot to offer even in the shortest format of the game. He possesses plenty of T20 experience, having played in 200 of them, and has made contributions in both departments.
Mahmudullah is a compact batsman with a strike rate nearing 120 in T20s, to complement his 99 T20 wickets courtesy his handy off-spin. That suggests he would be a reliable all-rounder for any team.
As a like-to-like replacement for his national teammate at SRH, Mahmudullah could bat in the middle-order in the upcoming edition. After finding no buyers in IPL 2019, this might be the opportunity which could enhance his reputation even in the shortest format of the game.
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