IPL 2018 | Shikhar Dhawan or Rashid Khan? Whom will Sunrisers Hyderabad retain?

01/03/2018

Unlike most IPL franchises, Sunrisers Hyderabad seem to have their work cut out for them ahead of the mega-auction this later month. However, even amidst the obvious choices, the 2016 champions might look to tinker with the squad looking for actual value for money amidst the massive reshuffling.

The one thing synonymous with Sunrisers Hyderabad has been their consistency in the tournament. Since the side came into existence back in 2013, they have managed to reach the playoffs twice and win the title once in the last five seasons. And over the last three seasons, the side has managed to keep their core players intact despite releasing 26 players in the same period of time.

Now, with the mega-auction enforcing some major shuffle in every squad, Hyderabad will have to hold on to their significant few. Initially, only two sides had agreed for the open auction and Hyderabad were understandably not one of them as they had managed come at a settled squad after a lot of experimentation.

Retention List

David Warner

Okay, so this one remains a no-brainer. The Australian southpaw has been Hyderabad’s primary weapon in the league, who retains the ability to destroy any opponent regardless of their bowling attack. Skipper in every aspect of the letter, Warner led the side from the front scoring more than 641 runs at an average of 58.27. In 2016, when Hyderabad won the title, Warner was in monster mode as he ended the season with 848 runs with an average of 60.57. He crossed the 500 run mark in 2014 and 2015 as well. There is no way SRH would part ways with their run machine.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Another mainstay of Hyderabad, the seam bowler has also become an integral part of the side over the past four years. Barring 2015, the fast bowler has been really consistent taking 20+ wickets in each season and even bettering himself every year since then (23 wickets in 2016 & 26 wickets in 2017). No bowler in IPL has taken more wickets than Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the last four seasons combined. And now with him evolving one of the world’s best death-over bowlers in the last two years, he would command a huge price tag if left on the open market.

Shikhar Dhawan

Now, Dhawan’s inclusion could raise eyebrows amongst the fans especially with the likes of Rashid Khan and Moises Henriques still at large. However, one cannot deny the fact that Dhawan has been the perfect opening partner to Warner over the years and despite being inconsistent, is definitely a big match player. After starting slow in his first two years (377 in 2014 & 353 in 2015), he has turned on the heat in the last two years garnering 501 runs in 2016 and 479 last season. The stylish left-hander has reiterated time and again that he is unstoppable once he gets going and he showed that in national colours last year, scoring almost at will across all the three formats.

Right to Match Option

Rashid Khan

There is a cluster of exciting Afghanistan players that would be up for grabs this auction and Rashid Khan definitely leads the list, which is only if Hyderabad decides to part ways with him. After picking up Rashid for a decent 4 crores last season, the 19-year-old has surely spiked his value in this one year, taking 17 wickets at an average of 21.05. Following it, the spinner has been impressive in Australia’s Big Bash League as well, scalping six wickets in three games for the Adelaide Strikers so far. He is expected to touch the 10 crore ceiling this auction in all probability and Sunrisers would be shelling out whatever his price is.

Deepak Hooda

One for the future surely, Hyderabad will be betting big on the emerging all-rounder in the right to match option. Though the 23-year-old ran out of pace last season scoring just 78 runs in 10 matches and taking two wickets in the process, he has shown glimpses of his hitting prowess as well as his ability to bowl economically in the middle overs. With the next mega-auction after three years, Hooda would be largely a work in progress.

How logical is the policy

Hyderabad have perhaps the simplest and logical selection woes ahead of them. Though holding on to their main players would mean they have to part ways with the likes of Kane Williamson, Henriques, Ben Laughlin, Naman Ojha, Mohammad Nabi and more, the side is more than mentally ready to build a team around the selective five over the next few years.