3 Players SRH should target in IPL 2023 Auction

As IPL 2022 nears its end, the scramble for playoff spots among the 10 teams is in full steam. SRH is one of the teams that finds itself in a giant pickle. After just five wins from 12 games, it needs to win the remaining matches and hope for a lot of favorable results from other fixtures in order to qualify. With momentum not currently in their favor, qualifying for the playoffs right now looks like a remote possibility for them.

Winning five games on the trot after losing the first two matches, SRH at one point were contending for the top-most position on the table. But insipid form from their captain and injury to Washington Sundar has not helped matters. Also, their wild card Umran Malik seems to have lost a bit of steam after a spectacular mid-season burst. As the season comes to a close, all eyes slowly begin to find their way toward the next edition. So here are three players SRH should target in IPL 2023 auction:

1. Mujeeb Ur Rahman

At 17 years and 11 days, Mujeeb debuted for Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in IPL 2018 to become the youngest player to feature in the IPL, a record he still holds to date. Having been picked for a whopping price of INR 4 crore at this young age, things since have not exactly gone to plan for Mujeeb. More than 4 years since his debut, Mujeeb has still played only 19 games in the IPL.

And it’s not that he has performed terribly in the biggest T20 league in the world. Quite the opposite, he impressed everyone in his debut season picking up 14 wickets from 11 games, at an economy of 6.99 and a bowling average of 20.64 runs per wicket. The reason why he has played a grand total of eight matches in the next three seasons is that he had to compete with some very good Indian spinners. In IPL 2018, he had to contend with the two Ashwins, Ravi (his inspiration) and Murugan. And the next two seasons saw the emergence of a certain Ravi Bishnoi.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman is not someone entirely foreign to Sunrisers actually. Before IPL 2021, he was picked up by SRH for INR 1.5 crore. That he only had to bowl four overs in a single game for the huge sum is a huge misfortune not just for Mujeeb, but for the league itself. SRH then had the problem of plenty with a solid spin department. But now with only Sundar as their specialist spinner, SRH would do well to dish out a red carpet for Mujeeb come next auction.