IPL 2018 | Who should Sunrisers Hyderabad buy at the mega-auction

BySubhayan Dutta, SportsCafe Editor

01/23/2018

Sunrisers Hyderabad have been the epitome of consistency since being created in 2013 reaching the playoffs twice and winning IPL once in five seasons. However, their settled core has gone for a toss before the mega-auction and it will be interesting to see how they rebuild another balanced squad.

While SRH hardly had selection woes during their announcement of the retention list, it is now that they are likely to face all kinds of problems. Over the last three seasons, Hyderabad have released as many as 26 players, but their significant likes of David Warner, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shikhar Dhawan, Naman Ojha, Moses Henriques and more have always been there.

Now, even with a major reshuffle being forced on to every team, one wouldn’t be surprised if Hyderabad decide to stick with some of them, who are acquainted with their philosophy that has undoubtedly brought positive results.

Players Retained- David Warner, Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Funds Remaining- 59 crores

Batsmen-

Shikhar Dhawan- Though choosing to go with only two retentions might have forced the SRH experts to ignore the Indian opener they are expected to go all out in order to get him back in the auction - the simple reason being Dhawan’s brilliant synchronization with Warner. The duo has five opening century-stands between them and boasts of more than 2000 runs together, which is the third-highest by any pair in IPL after Kohli and Gayle and Kohli and AB de Villiers.

Dhawan’s individual feats are also worth noting. Following a slow start in his first two SRH seasons (377 in 2014 & 353 in 2015), Dhawan has been in top form, garnering 501 runs in 2016 and 479 last season. Having an average of 32.66, Dhawan is better than most openers in IPL and has a base price of 2 crores, will go high in the mega-auction (9 crores). However, we don’t expect SRH to back down from using RTM.

Kedar Jadhav - In all likelihood, SRH wouldn’t go with Yuvraj Singh this season. The swashbuckling southpaw has been on the downhill of late, struggling to get a place in the national team. His inability to pass the Yo-Yo Test smoothly further questions his fitness, which will be a crucial requirement in the T20 format. In Kedar Jadhav, SRH could get an explosive batsman with traits of a part-time bowler.

Coming down the order, the hard-hitter scored 267 runs in 13 matches last season with RCB and could be the perfect option for SRH to fall back on if their opening pair doesn’t work out. Jadhav had some impressive displays in national colours too, this season, and with a base price at 2 crores is expected to see it grow at least up to 8 crores.

Moises Henriques- With one overseas player already retained, SRH could go for one more in the mega-auction and it has to be this Australian. Henriques is one of the best utility players in the league and has helped SRH come out of difficult situations multiple times. Since joining SRH back in 2014, Henriques has scored 755 runs and 24 wickets.

He was also Hyderabad’s solution to early batting order collapse last season where he was seen coming ahead of Kane Williamson on occasions. With a base price of 1.5 crores, Hyderabad would expect to lock their key player somewhere in the region of 6-7.5 crores.

Quinton de Kock (wk) - SRH’s search for an upgrade on wicketkeeper, Naman Ojha, should finally end this auction and this South African is expected to be the solution. Though de Kock didn’t feature in the last IPL season, he was brilliant in the one before that, where he played 13 games for Delhi Daredevils, scoring 445 runs with the highest score was 108.

With the possibility of retaining Kane Williamson not feasible anymore, SRH might as well take a different route this time and they are unlikely to be disappointed. With his base price at 1.5 crores, de Kock is not expected to reach sky high and we expect SRH to get him for somewhere in the region of 5 crores.

Naman Ojha (wk)- Like most IPL side, SRH too have a domestic player who has been quintessential to their squad and it is highly unlikely that they would part ways with him. Joining them back in 2014, Ojha has been a crucial cog in SRH’s wheel, especially in the middle order. He has scored 584 runs in the last four seasons taking 36 catches from behind the stumps. Ojha’s base price is less than a crore and would definitely be a good catch for any side in the auction. SRH would ideally keep him close to their chest and use the RTM with his price going until 4 crores.

Vijay Shankar- IPL champions have often proved to be relying on the displays of the domestic stars. While Mumbai Indians depended heavily on Krunal Pandya, KKR have often been seen relying on the likes of Suryakumar Yadav or even Manvinder Bisla, previously. Coming to fore in a proper way only last season, the all-rounder from Tamil Nadu had an instant impression as he scored 101 runs in four games, even getting a fifty in the process against Gujarat Lions.

However, SRH are yet to see his bowling potential. On the domestic circuit, Shankar has become a household name for his bowling prowess that led him to get the national cap when India named him as Bhuvneshwar Kumar's replacement in the Test squad against Sri Lanka. With a base price of less than a crore, Shankar could again be a cut-price deal for SRH as we don’t expect him to go above 2 crores.

Bowlers

Kuldeep Yadav- Despite Rashid Khan’s heroics in the tournament last season, SRH would definitely opt for homegrown options when it comes to spinners. And who could be more suitable for that role other than India’s new blue-eyed boy, Kuldeep Yadav. Breaking into the scene last year, the chinaman bowler is more than ready to take on the world now. His hat-trick last year in Indian colours was enough to draw everyone’s attention.

Playing 12 games for KKR last season, Yadav took 12 wickets at an average of 28.33. His base price is 1.5 crores and given the promise that he has shown, we would expect his bid to shoot up to 9 crores. Of course, KKR are likely to have an RTM on him, but SRH should go for him.

Kagiso Rabada - With Ashish Nehra retiring from all formats of the game, SRH will definitely have to replace of their most effective bowlers of last season. The lanky pacer from Delhi, though not the best wicket-taker, had the ability to check runs almost at will. And the South African pacer could be a good replacement for him. Though Rabada hasn’t impressed in IPL so far, his ability to consistently pitch deliveries with a speed of 140-150kph range remains helpful for any side. With a base price of 1.5 crores, Rabada could go as high as 5 crores in the auction.

Tymal Mills- Another relatively new face in the league, the English cricketer has been turning heads with his unique bowling action and ability to mix his deliveries impeccably. He was effective for Royal Challengers Bangalore last season where he played five games and scalped the same number of wickets. He has also impressed playing for Sussex and Quetta Gladiators of Pakistan Super League. Having a lesser base price if 1 crore than Rabada, he could be a real catch for SRH to provide some support to Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Siddarth Kaul- With two effective pacers and two part-time effective fast bowlers in Henriques and Shankar, SRH could go for another home-grown bowler who could breathe in a fresh air every now and then to the side. And Kaul could very well be that option for them. The 27-year-old had an impressive season last time as he took 16 wickets in 10 games. Being uncapped, Kaul’s price could end up somewhere in the region of 4 crores and would be a safe and known option for Hyderabad.

OR

Umesh Yadav- KKR aren’t likely to retain their rusty pacer this season as they look for a major reshuffle this time. However, the experienced bowler had quite a decent season last time taking 17 wickets in 14 matches. With BCCI pushing him into Test format, where he now sees himself more marginalized with Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar’s emergence, his price is not expected that high. Having a base price of 1 crore, Yadav’s price should go slightly more than Kaul at 5 crores.