IPL 2020: Best Sunrisers Hyderabad XI for the upcoming season
Sunrisers Hyderabad have always been among the consistent performers in IPL. The team is well-balanced in both the bowling and the batting departments.
The SRH management made the fewest buys during the IPL 2020 Auction. This was because they already had most of their bases covered going into next season.
They retained most of their players from the previous season and released the likes of Deepak Hooda and Yusuf Pathan before the auction process commenced. They mainly targeted overseas all-rounders and Indian batsmen at the auction, and went on to acquire the likes of Mitchell Marsh, Fabien Allen, Virat Singh and Priyam Garg.
Squad for IPL 2020: Kane Williamson, David Warner, Manish Pandey, Virat Singh, Priyam Garg, Abdul Samad, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Sandeep Sharma, Siddharth Kaul, Billy Stanlake, T Natarajan, Abhishek Sharma, Shahbaz Nadeem, Mitchell Marsh, Fabian Allen, Vijay Shankar, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Sanjay Yadav, Jonny Bairstow, Wriddhiman Saha, Shreevats Goswami, Bavanaka Sandeep, Basil Thampi
SRH have frequently faced a problem with their inexperienced middle-order batsmen, who have failed to match the consistency of the top order batsmen over the last few years. This time around they have brought in exciting young batsmen like Virat Singh and Priyam Garg into the side, hoping that they will excel in the middle-order role.
Now, let us take a look at the best possible combination for SRH during the upcoming IPL season.
Openers: David Warner and Jonny Bairstow (wk)
SRH have one of the most consistent and devastating opening pairs in the world at their disposal.
David Warner and Jonny Bairstow will in all likelihood open the innings for SRH in IPL 2020, and they displayed exemplary consistency as a pair last season. Moreover, the duo provides the left-right combination at the top, which is the preferred combination by most teams.
Bairstow will look to continue his fine white-ball form and provide SRH with a strong platform upfront. Warner meanwhile has always been a prolific run-scorer in the IPL, and has won the Orange Cap on three occasions in the past.
SRH's batting department has always been over-reliant on Warner. And on most occasions he has played his part, single-handedly winning them many games over the last few years.
Middle-order: Kane Williamson (c), Manish Pandey, Virat Singh, Vijay Shankar, Abhishek Sharma
Kane Williamson will walk into bat at the number 3 position. He will look to play the anchor role in the middle overs. His shrewd decision-making skills and tactical acumen make him the ideal choice to captain the side.
Manish Pandey and Virat Singh will follow the skipper in the batting line-up. Pandey will look to score consistently and make a strong case for a spot in India's T20I team.
All-rounders Vijay Shankar and Abhishek Sharma will occupy the remaining slots in the batting order. They will both act as the team's primary finishers, and will also share the fifth bowler's quota of four overs between them.
Lower Order: Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Sandeep Sharma
SRH have one of the best and most consistent bowling attacks in the IPL. Over the last few years they have successfully defended many average-looking totals, and set a precedent for other teams to follow.
SRH's bowling spearhead Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been one of the most consistent wicket-takers in IPL the last five years.
Sandeep Sharma and Khaleel Ahmed will join him in the pace department. Both of them were in decent form last season, but the duo will look to improve their death bowling skills in the upcoming season.
Rashid Khan will handle the spin department along with Abhishek Sharma. Rashid is a renowned T20 spinner who also has the capability to hit mighty sixes in the slog overs.
Best XI: David Warner, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Manish Pandey, Virat Singh, Vijay Shankar, Abhishek Sharma, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Sandeep Sharma