Ranking SRH's buys at IPL 2024 AuctionÂ
One of the teams that simply had to nail the IPL 2024 auction were Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), who finished rock bottom in the points table in the last season. A revamp in the think tank followed with the new management still showing faith in the core group of players.
The idea seemed clear from the outset for the Sunrisers that they wanted to address the key areas of concern. It is safe to say that on paper, they managed to solve most of their worries. They have added a lot of meat to their batting and bowling departments and will be hopeful that they turn up in IPL 2024 and play to their potential.
On that note, let's take a look at all the buys from the auction for SRH and try and understand how they have fared as per the team's requirements.
#1 Travis Head - (9/10)
After his incredible hundred in the 2023 World Cup final against India, it seemed clear that Travis Head would be on the shortlist for several IPL teams in the auction. The hard-hitting opener was picked up by SRH for a whopping INR 6.8 crore and one can argue that he is the most ideal fit in that line-up.
SRH struggled with their opening combinations last year as Mayank Agarwal was inconsistent and Abhishek Sharma kept shifting between top order and middle order. Head has solved that headache as he could open with Abhishek and give Hyderabad the quickfire starts they need.
The Australian star is also more than handy with his off-spin and is a gun fielder, providing a complete package for the 2016 IPL champions.
#2 Wanindu Hasaranga - 9/10
Quite a few were left in disbelief when Wanindu Hasaranga was sold to SRH at his base price of INR 1.5 crore. It's still not clear whether the other nine teams didn't try to bid for him because of availability issues.
However, if Hasaranga is fit and available for all games, he could prove to be the bargain of the IPL 2024 auction. Despite having a poor IPL 2023 season, Hasaranga's potential is undeniable as he had picked up 26 wickets in the season before.
If SRH figure out a way to fit Hasaranga into their four foreign players, he could be more than a handful for them and could work wonders with Sri Lankan legend Muttiah Muralitharan in the think tank.
#3 Pat Cummins - 8/10
Pat Cummins ended up being the second most expensive player at the IPL 2024 auction, sold for a mind-boggling INR 20.5 crore. A bidding war between the Sunrisers and Royal Challengers Bangalore led to this mammoth fee.
While Cummins has been a quality bowler in the longer formats, he has been inconsistent in T20 cricket. However, the fact that he can also be a handy hitter down the order and has enough experience of bowling in Indian conditions, Hyderabad fans can be optimistic about the price tag not bogging Cummins down.
Who knows, SRH might have also looked at Cummins as a potential captaincy option.
#4 Jhatavedh Subramanyan - 7.5/10
A rather unknown commodity to many, leg-spinner Jhatavedh Subramanyan has been quite a journeyman just at the age of 23. Born in Hong Kong, Subramanyan later moved to Tamil Nadu where his family originally is from.
It was in the TNPL that the young leg-spinner made waves. For the Lyca Kovai Kings in TNPL 2023, he picked up 11 wickets in nine games at an economy rate of just 6.57. Already a net bowler in the past with SRH, if groomed well, they could have a potential gem on their hands for just INR 20 lakh.
#5 Akash Singh and Jaydev Unadkat- 7/10
Both Akash Singh and Jaydev Unadkat at INR 20 lakh and INR 1.6 crore, respectively, seem to be the backups to the Indian pace options that Hyderabad already have with the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan and Umran Malik. Akash played just six matches last season for the Chennai Super Kings but picked up five wickets and showed glimpses of promise.
Unadkat has had his days where he has been highly expensive. However, once a purple cap winner, the left-arm pacer from Saurashtra brings bags of experience with him, something which Hyderabad have always fancied having in their squad.