Ranking SRH's top 10 buys at the IPL 2023 auction
SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) came into the IPL 2023 auction with the biggest purse and acted like it. They spent more money than the Gujarat Titans, the Rajasthan Royals, and the Royal Challengers Bangalore combined and still had ₹6.55 crore to spare - almost equal to the Kolkata Knight Riders' initial budget.
SRH had pressed the reset button after an eighth-place finish in IPL 2022 and were the only team without a captain in the auction. On paper, their 13 signings have given them a much better and more T20-like look than last year.
Below, we'll rank 10 of the newly-signed players in terms of their price and the value they'll add to SRH.
#1 Mayank Agarwal (₹8.25 crore) - 8.5/10
The most obvious captaincy replacement for Kane Williamson, Mayank Agarwal, is an excellent purchase at ₹8.25 crore. He isn't an international T20 player but had two good IPL seasons in 2020 and 2021 (424 and 441 runs, respectively) before a poor one this year.
If he clicks, Mayank could be a force to be reckoned with at the top of the order. He will play according to the situation and is capable of playing pace and spin equally well.
Indian captains with good batting ability don't come this cheap. Mayank's captaincy debut wasn't great, but SRH could unlock his potential.
#2 Heinrich Klaasen (₹5.25 crore) - 8/10
A right-handed wicketkeeper-batter from South Africa, Heinrich Klaasen has scored 238 runs in nine T20I innings at a strike rate of over 155 in 2022. He's a brilliant player of spin and can perform well under any situation in the middle order.
He'll likely start ahead of Glenn Phillips for SRH and could be of great value as they travel through various grounds in India.
A calm head in an explosive squad to absorb pressure and still maintain the pace of the innings is a gift at this price.
#3 Harry Brook (₹13.25 crore) - 7/10
Harry Brook was SRH's first signing at the IPL 2023 auction after a fierce bidding war with the Rajasthan Royals, who put their entire budget on the line.
The English youngster is a proper T20 middle-order batter (scored 264 runs at a strike rate of 171.43 in the Pakistan Super League and 436 runs at 163.91 in the T20 Blast this year) and could be the most exciting player to watch out for in IPL 2023.
He's a hard-hitting batter who showed in the recent Test series against Pakistan that he's got the game to be consistently good in the sub-continent conditions.
He's almost SRH's best buy, it's just that they would have loved to get him at a slightly lower price. It almost felt like RR made them overpay for the 24-year-old.
#4 Adil Rashid (₹2 crore) - 7/10
Overseas leg-spinners rarely attract big bids at IPL auctions, so it isn't a steal, but getting Adil Rashid at his base price is good business from SRH. Rashid, one of the players of the tournament for England in their 2022 T20 World Cup win, is among the most underrated T20 bowlers currently.
The 34-year-old is a big match player (2/22 in the World Cup final), has experience of bowling in India, and is usually economical. He can also swing his bat for a cameo here and there in the lower order.
SRH struggled after losing Rashid Khan to Gujarat Titans last season. Adil Rashid likely won't be as good as his Afghan counterpart for the Orange Army, but at almost 1/8th the price, he isn't a bad signing.
#5 Vivrant Sharma (₹2.6 crore) - 7/10
#IPLAuction I must admit I’m so much delighted to see Vivrant Sharma escalating a kind of bidding war! While I knew both KKR and SRH are interested in him, hadn’t expected to go at 2.6 CR! A thread on him coming shortly! Here’s a video of his batting ⤵️ #IPLAuction
https://t.co/ur0xUeD9PM
The area where SRH looked the most light before the IPL 2023 auction was quality backup Indian batters. That makes Jammu-born batting all-rounder Vivrant Sharma's acquisition an important one.
The elegant left-hander, who bats in the top order, scored 395 runs for Jammu and Kashmir at an average of 56.42 and a strike rate of 94.72 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He smashed two half-centuries and an unbeaten 154 against Uttrakhand. Sharma boasted a strike rate of 145.45 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with two half-centuries to his name.
The 23-year-old is also a handy leg-spinner. He was Jammu and Kashmir's best bowler in the T20 tournament, picking up six wickets at an economy rate of 4.80.
A hard-hitter, Sharma is a promising package who could start as a batting backup this season and might develop into a star like two more SRH members from the same region - Umran Malik and Abdul Samad.
#6 Upendra Yadav (₹25 lakh) 7/10
Hailing from Kanpur and now a player for Railways, Upendra Yadav is a 26-year-old right-handed wicketkeeper-batter. Like Sharma, he's coming off good runs in both the domestic T20 and 50-over tournaments - 179 runs at a strike rate of about 127 from seven Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy games and 212 runs at an average of 42.40 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
He has been in and out of the India 'A' team. This year's performances earned him a call-up for the tour of Bangladesh 'A', where he scored in 71 (122) in the first match before being left out for the second. The middle-order batter, who is a junior clerk in the national railways, is a good player of spin and a reliable wicketkeeper.
SRH needed an Indian backup for their overseas keeper duo of Klassen and Phillips (Rahul Tripathi will likely be restricted as a batter) and they've got an experienced one in Yadav for quite cheap.
#7 Anmolpreet Singh (₹ 20 lakhs) 6.5/10
Anmolpreet Singh is third on the line of Indian top-order backups for SRH.
Although his overall domestic record isn't too impressive, he enjoyed the 2022 season for Punjab, scoring over 200 runs in both the Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, with strike rates of 105.36 and 135.97, respectively.
The 24-year-old former Mumbai Indians player is experienced and can take on the bowlers from the first ball. Getting him at the base price is another smart signing.
#8 Akeal Hosein (₹1 crore) - 6.5/10
A direct, frugal, and clinical left-arm spinner, Akeal Hosein is one of the most promising players in a difficult white-ball era for the West Indies. He has 25 wickets from 29 T20Is at an average of 29.56 and also averages 22 with the bat.
Hosein has performed well for the Trinbago Knight Riders in the last three editions of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and has a brilliant 10 wickets from just four matches in the ongoing Big Bash League (BBL) season for the Melbourne Renegades.
Overall, he's more than a decent backup for Adil Rashid.
#9 Mayank Markande (₹50 lakh) - 6/10
Leg-spinner Mayank Markande is unlikely to get too many chances unless he impresses a lot in the nets. SRH have a glut of spin-bowling options available in the first team with Adil Rashid, Washington Sundar, Aiden Markram, and Abhishek Sharma all capable.
He was one of the Mumbai Indians' biggest match-winners in 2018 in his debut season and also got an India call-up but injuries and Rahul Chahar's rise led to a dramatic downfall.
He has not done too wrong in domestic cricket since and 2022 was no different. ₹50 lakhs look like the right price for him, but it remains to be seen what impact he makes.
Perhaps spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan's coaching will help him regain some of his mojo and get a chance as the third spinner in helpful wickets.
#10 Mayank Dagar (₹1.8 crore) - 6/10
Mayank Dagar All Rounder 🔥 🔥
#SRH #OrangeArmy @SunRisers https://t.co/cWhzKvN9Ne
An in-form left-arm spinner with a bit of batting in him, Mayank Dagar is not a bad buy for SRH. He was supremely consistent in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with the ball, picking up 12 wickets from seven games at a strike rate of 13.5.
In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he collected seven wickets in as many games and scored a 92 (84) in a losing cause against Gujarat.
He's also a good fielder and might prove to be an excellent long-term investment. However, in comparison to their other signings, putting almost ₹2 crore on another spin all-rounder doesn't look like the best choice at this hour.
Also Read: RR IPL Player List 2023: Complete list of players bought at IPL auction by Rajasthan Royals