Ranking SRH's 5 best buys in IPL 2025 Auction ft. Ishan KishanÂ
The SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) had the task of assembling the support group to the core, which was already sorted through the retentions after the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign. The 2016 IPL winners did not come into the auction with the heaviest of purses, but made a significant impact with their statement purchases, particularly on Day 1 of the IPL 2025 Auction in Jeddah.
SRH had some massive star power in the squad that made it to the final of the 2024 season. While it was impossible to keep a hold of them all, they managed to hold onto the key players.
Heinrich Klaasen became the highest retained player in the league after being tied down to INR 23 crore. Skipper Pat Cummins was the second choice retention with INR 18 crore, while the explosive opening duo of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma were retained at INR 14 crore each. Emerging all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy was given a contract worth INR 6 crore.
On that note, let us rank SRH's 5 best buys in the IPL 2025 Auction.
#5 Abhinav Manohar
Having a designated finisher in the lower middle order relieves pressure off Heinrich Klaasen and Nitish Kumar Reddy, allowing them to play freely. Abhinav Manohar is a proper basher in the death overs, who just has been devoid of opportunities. He had tough luck in GT, who had all of David Miller, Rashid Khan, Rahul Tewatia, and Shahrukh Khan to handle the back end of the innings.
Now with Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, and Sanvir Singh gone, SRH could utilize Abhinav Manohar as the final act of their incredible batting line-up. Furthermore, the Karnataka batter had a blockbuster Maharaja T20 Trophy and is a good deal at INR 3.2 crore.
#4 Harshal Patel
Losing T Natarajan was not ideal for SRH, and with Mohammed Shami and Pat Cummins securing a large portion of the early and middle overs, the franchise had a gaping hole towards the end. Luckily for them, they might have just acquired the perfect replacement in Harshal Patel.
A bonafide wicket-taker equipped with a plethora of variations, the reigning Purple Cap holder makes his economy a non-factor to a great extent. Also with his handy hitting ability down the order, he increases the depth which is already formidable due to Pat Cummins' presence.
#3 Mohammed Shami
With no RTM available for a capped player, the option to bring back Bhuvneshwar Kumar was up to fate, which is a chance that no franchise would take. This left SRH in desperate need of a new ball bowler, and when it comes to that particular trait, there are perhaps none better than Mohammed Shami.
The 2023 IPL Purple Cap winner was in search of a new franchise after being released by the Gujarat Titans (GT) after the 2024 campaign. While there was no debate regarding his ability, there was scrutiny over his long-term fitness and the age factor.
This resulted in a massive debate regarding his price tag, and while SRH secured his services for INR 10 crore, only time will tell whether it was justified or not. If he maintains his fitness and prowess, chances are that it will be.
#2 Ishan Kishan
The Indian wicketkeeper was a long-term prospect for SRH, having bid for him heavily in the previous mega auction as well. The franchise had major concerns in the middle-order once Abhishek Sharma was promoted to the top. The likes of Rahul Tripathi and Aiden Markram were not able to carry on the momentum provided by the explosive opening duo.
This put a great deal of pressure on Nitish Kumar Reddy and Heinrich Klaasen in the second phase of the innings. Ishan Kishan's arrival solves that concern. The left-handed batter, already versatile after batting across all batting positions, can come in at No.3 to carry on the attacking mindset, given that he is of a similar mold to that of Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head.
Too similar to the opening combination may be viewed as a negative by some, if not many, but from SRH's perspective, it is a positive.
#1 Adam Zampa
The Australian leg-spinner is one of the best leg-spinners of this generation. That same positivity has not been reflected on his IPL record due to the constant pullouts, unavailability, and the fact that he is an overseas spinner. He has had frustrating times on the bench for various franchises.
However, this time around, things could be extremely different. By putting his name for the auction, Zampa made a huge statement. The IPL had issued new regulations that would bar the players from registering in the mini auction if they are not available for the mega auction, and also the imposition of a two-year ban if they pull out of the season.
This solves the first half of the problem, which was Zampa's availability. The two-pronged factors behind the second concern, which is game time, is a non-issue now, because of Pat Cummins and Daniel Vettori. Zampa has thrived under the captain-coach dynamic in the Australian setup, and with the same duo in charge of proceedings in SRH, the leg-spinner is bound to play a huge role for the season.
Additionally, SRH had also solved their overseas cluttering. Earlier they had eight top overseas players, making for a bench that was too strong. Now, Zampa can easily be the fourth overseas player alongside Head, Klaasen, and Cummins.