IPL 2020: 5 Players who the Sunrisers Hyderabad should release before the IPL Auction
Sunrisers Hyderabad were at the center of attention right from the start of the season as the previously banned David Warner made his return to the Indian Premier League and did so with a bang. He combined really well with Jonny Bairstow at the top of the innings as the duo took apart bowling attacks at will. SRH did struggle after the two left for international duties but did manage to make it to the playoffs before losing to the Delhi Capitals in the Eliminator.
They won just 6 games out of 14 but managed to go through on Net Run Rate edging KKR and KXIP out in the process. Bhuvneshwar Kumar's lackluster performance with the ball and Kane Williamson's inability to bring back his past-season's form did hurt them in the playoffs. David Warner not only finished as SRH's highest run-scorer but won the Orange Cap for his mammoth 682 runs from just 12 games averaging 69.2 at a blistering strike-rate of 143.62.
With the ball, it was Rajasthan's left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed who showed tremendous fire and zest in his bowling and picked up most wickets for SRH. The pacer picked up 19 wickets from just 9 games at a great bowling average of 17.10.
But having won the IPL in 2016 and coming as runners-up in 2018, SRH certainly won't be satisfied with a 4th-place finish. They are a side known for taking the balance of their side very seriously and to address that, they might tinker with their squad quite a bit ahead of next season under the watchful eyes of new Head Coach Trevor Bayliss.
On that note, here are 5 players who SRH can release before the IPL Auction.
#5 Deepak Hooda
This is a no-brainer, really. Deepak Hooda has been with the Sunrisers for 4 seasons now and the Baroda all-rounder hasn't delivered what he promised early in his IPL career. He made a smashing debut for RR noticeable for his high strike-rates and good ball-striking abilities to go with his miserly off-spin. But he hasn't delivered in either of the departments for SRH and was pretty much used as a filler in the middle order just to fill the 11th spot in the team sheet.
He also hasn't made too much impact in the domestic circuit and had a poor IPL 2019. He scored just 64 runs from 11 games last season with a high score of 20 and a poor strike-rate of 101.58. He also picked up just 1 wicket at a horrid economy rate of 10.50. With many other proper all-round options like Shakib al Hasan and Mohammad Nabi in the squad and other young talents waiting to be bought at the auction, it's time for SRH to let Hooda go.
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