All-time best XI of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in IPL

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) might have started their IPL journey in 2013, but they didn’t take a lot of time to leave their mark. The franchise owned by Sun TV had an average start in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as they qualified for the playoffs only once in the first 3 seasons but they have been one of the most robust and consistent teams in the last four seasons.

Similar to other successful teams like Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), SRH have also managed to keep a strong core. Sunrisers Hyderabad won their maiden and only IPL title in 2016 by beating Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Since that year, they have always qualified for the playoffs.

One could say that they have been a bowling heavy side, which isn’t wrong by any means but they have also had one of the strongest top order in recent times, courtesy of players such as Shikhar Dhawan, David Warner, Kane Williamson and Jonny Bairstow. The only area in which SRH can be criticised is the middle order.

Throughout the years, they have had a weak middle order which is holding them back in being more dominant, especially during the playoff stages against more balanced sides. The primary home stadium of the team is the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad which has a capacity of 55,000.

Let us now take a look at their all-time best XI:

1. David Warner

David Warner has been a mainstay of SRH’s top order. He has the skill to pace his innings to perfection. Similar to Mumbai Indians, Warner also has an affection for odd years. He has won the orange cap for the 2015, 2017 and 2019 editions of the IPL. The left-handed batsman is playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad since 2014. He has also represented Delhi Daredevils for five seasons in the IPL.

His best season with the Daredevils was in 2013 as he scored 410 runs. He also scored two centuries for DD which prompted SRH to splash the cash on the Sydney-born batsman. Warner has been one of their best batsmen since joining SRH. He has scored 500+ runs in each season for the Orange Army. In 2016, Warner scored 848 at an average of 60.57 as SRH stormed their way to a maiden IPL trophy.

Warner was banned in 2018 due to being involved in the ball-tampering debacle. On his return to the IPL in 2019, he scored 692 runs in just 12 innings at an average of 69.20. This led to fans calling him “Comeback Man”. Warner is the top scorer of SRH of all-time. He has scored 4702 runs in IPL history which makes him the highest-scoring foreign player. He has scored these runs at an average of 43.17 at a rate of 142.39. He also holds the record for most half centuries in IPL.

2. Parthiv Patel (wk)

This is a controversial inclusion but let us make our case for him. Sunrisers have had a lot of wicket keepers throughout the IPL. Their current wicket-keeper is Jonny Bairstow, who joined them in 2019 and his only IPL campaign was a major triumph. But he misses out because we can only select four overseas players. The other Indian options are Naman Ojha and Wriddhiman Saha, but none of them have been better than Parthiv with the bat.

Parthiv Patel has been a journey-man of the IPL as he has played for six different teams. He plied his trade for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2013 campaign. Patel scored 294 runs in 13 innings at an average of 22.61. These stats might not be the greatest in the world, but Ojha and Saha have an average of 19.46 and 16.00 respectively. Parthiv Patel might not be the most explosive batsman in the world, but he has the ability to score some quick runs in the powerplay.

A case could be made for Dhawan to open the batting in this team but Parthiv is more or less irrelevant in the middle order as his strength is against fast bowlers. Patel isn’t the strongest so he finds it hard to tonk the spinners. His timing helps him clear the reach of the fielders inside the circle during the powerplay overs. This ability of his has been exploited by not only SRH, but also by Mumbai Indians and most recently Royal Challengers Bangalore.

3. Shikhar Dhawan

Another left hander in this line up is David Warner’s long time partner in crime, Shikhar Dhawan. The veteran formed a tremendous duo with Warner at the top of the order. Both of them have the dual ability to either go all out or to pace their innings depending on the situation. Shikhar Dhawan holds the record for hitting the most number of fours (boundaries) in IPL history with 524 boundaries to his name.

Dhawan has had a very illustrious IPL career. He is the fourth-highest scoring Indian batsman of all time. He has played for a lot of teams such as Mumbai Indians, Delhi Daredevils/Capitals and Deccan Chargers but he spent the prime time of his career with Sunrisers Hyderabad. He played for SRH from 2013 to 2018 during which he scored 2768 runs in 91 innings.

His stint at SRH can be divided into two parts. In the first 3 years, he scored around 300-400 runs each campaign. In the last 3 years, he scored close to 500 runs each season which also included the 2016 campaign in which SRH lifted the trophy. His stint at Sunrisers Hyderabad also coincided with the years during which he became a very important batsman for the Indian national team. Dhawan currently plays for Delhi Capitals and he is scoring bucket load of runs for them as well.

4. Kane Williamson (C)

Kane Williamson is another reason why Sunrisers Hyderabad have had such a strong top order. Part of the famed ‘Fab Four’ along with Virat Kohli, Steven Smith and Joe Root, the Tauranga-born is one of the coolest customers around the circuit. He joined SRH in 2015 and has been with the team ever since. He has had to spend his fair share of time on the bench to accommodate other foreign players, but he has shone whenever he has been given the opportunity to do so.

His most fruitful campaign came in 2018. David Warner was set to miss the season because he was banned. Kane Williamson was elected as the new captain and he literally led the team from the front. He scored 735 runs in 17 matches as SRH made it to the finals. His average that season was 52.50 and the runs came at a very good strike-rate of 151.47 which isn’t a feature of his batting.

His orange cap in the 2018 edition of the IPL means that an SRH batsman won the orange cap in four out of the last five campaigns, which is clear proof that the team is not over-reliant on their bowling. Williamson has brilliant temperament and immense composure and he is the perfect man to anchor an innings in any team, let alone in an all time SRH XI. He will also captain this side which will allow Warner to play more freely.

5. Manish Pandey

It took one outstanding innings to thrust Manish Pandey into the limelight. A stylish batsman, the Karnataka-born right-handed batsman scored an unbeaten 114 for Royal Challengers Bangalore and wrote down in his name in IPL history by becoming the first Indian to score a century in the competition. He has also played for teams such as Mumbai Indians, Pune Warriors India and most importantly Kolkata Knight Riders.

He was acquired by the Sunrisers Hyderabad for a sum of 11 crore which made him their most expensive buy in the 2018 IPL Player Auction and the Sunrisers instilled faith in him by retaining him for the 2020 edition too. As mentioned earlier, SRH have had issues with their middle order and Pandey was bought for the exact reason. He has scored 628 runs in 24 innings during his two seasons with the Sunrisers Hyderabad at a solid average of 33.05.

His debut campaign for the Sunrisers Hyderabad was lacklustre, to say the least as he failed to live up to the hype created by not only his price tag, but also by his performances while playing for KKR. In 2019, he scored 344 runs in 12 innings and saw his season average increase from 25 to 43. Sunrisers Hyderabad will hope that this rise in form continues and he absolutely smashes it in this year’s IPL.

6. Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh was one of the icon players when the IPL started in 2008. He has played for various teams such as Kings XI Punjab, Pune Warriors India, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians. At the 2014 IPL auction Royal Challengers Bangalore bought Yuvraj for an all-time high price of 14 crore INR and, in 2015, the Delhi Daredevils bought him for 16 crore INR making him the most expensive player ever to be sold in the IPL.

Yuvraj’s best seasons in the IPL came in 2009, 2011 and 2014 for KXIP, PXI and RCB respectively but considering the middle-order batsmen which Sunrisers Hyderabad have had, Yuvraj Singh stands out. He played two seasons for the Orange Army and scored 488 in 21 games scoring at a good strike rate of 137.07. He is also handy with his off-spin bowling and he is a leader on the pitch and in the dressing room.

The southpaw was a part of Sunrisers Hyderabad during the 2016 season. There he scored 38 runs from 23 balls in the final against his former team Royal Challengers Bangalore. Neither Yuvraj nor Vijay Shankar have been used by SRH for their bowling prowess, hence selecting Yuvraj on his batting performances was an easy decision to make.

7. Moises Henriques

Moises Henriques is a forgotten man in the IPL. He was one of the most important players for the Sunrisers Hyderabad during the season they won the title. He is also the reason why Jonny Bairstow has to be left out from this XI. Following a year-long stint at various teams such as Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers Bangalore, Henriques finally found some much-needed game time at SRH.

The Aussie all-rounder was drafted by SRH in 2014. He has scored 755 runs for the franchise which makes him the fourth-highest run scorer for the team. He has also picked up 28 wickets, 23 of which came in 2015 and 2016 which means he could have easily taken more wickets if he was utilised more in the bowling department. Due to his strong displays, he became a cult hero among the SRH faithful.

He primarily played at the top order for SRH, but his versatility means that he can slot in in the middle or lower middle-order if required. Another reason why he was definitely a part of this team is because SRH have been criticised for two reasons i.e weak middle order and lack of quality seam bowling all rounders. Henriques solves both those problems.

8. Rashid Khan

The Afghani youngster’s story is nothing short of a fairy tale which really is a tale of hard work and passion, bringing deserved glory. He was bought by the Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2017 at the tender age of 18. The leggie has been nothing short of a revelation for SRH and has established himself as one of the best bowlers in the limited-overs format for not only franchise teams, but also in international cricket.

Rashid Khan has picked up 17, 21 and 17 wickets in his 3 seasons for SRH. He has taken all these wickets while conceding runs at a mere economy rate of 6.55 which is very low for a leg-spinner. He’s also very proud of his batting ability which we are yet to witness in the IPL. He hasn’t scored a lot of runs for the Sunrisers Hyderabad but he has a high strike rate of 165.07.

In the three years Rashid Khan has spent at SRH, the 21-year-old has managed to claim 55 wickets at an impressive strike rate of 19.85. Khan took 21 wickets at a strike-rate of 19.26 and emerged as the second-highest wicket taker in the 2018 edition. He was retained by SRH for nine crore which shows how highly they value him. Although he has only played for three seasons, he is already SRH’s second-highest wicket-taker.

9. Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is by far Sunrisers Hyderabad’s best bowler. He has picked up 109 wickets in just 86 matches. Bhuvi is a right arm fast-medium bowler who swings the ball both ways efficiently. He used to play for Royal Challengers Bangalore and Pune Warriors India, but just like many players in this XI, joined Sunrisers Hyderabad. Bhuvi has been one of the most consistent bowlers in the last decade.

The Meerut-born pacer picked up 20 wickets in his debut campaign for SRH but the best was yet to come. He followed that campaign by taking 18 dismissals in 2015. Bhuvneshwar won the purple cap as he took 23 wickets in 2016 when Sunrisers Hyderabad won the IPL. The peak of his career was in 2017 as he picked up 26 wickets in just 14 matches at a mind blowing average of 14.19.

With an exceptional control on line and length and swing bowling, Bhuvneshwar is one of the top threats for opening batsmen across the circuit. Overall, Bhuvi has taken 133 wickets in 117 matches in his IPL career which makes him the highest wicket-taking Indian pace bowler. He is also sixth highest overall. He has a brilliant economy rate of 7.24, which is the least for an Indian fast bowler.

10. Amit Mishra

Amit Mishra is a legend of the IPL. He is currently the 2nd highest wicket taker in IPL history. The leg-spinner is one of the most aggressive spinners as he tempts the batsman to go after him which leads to him picking up crucial wickets. He has played each and every season of the IPL and has played his cricket in two cities: Delhi, for both Delhi Daredevils and Delhi Capitals and Hyderabad, for both Deccan Chargers and Sunrisers Hyderabad.

He played for the Sunrisers Hyderabad during the 2013 and 2014 seasons. He picked up 30 wickets in those two campaigns. Another spinner who might feel hard done by for missing out in this XI is fellow leggie Karn Sharma. Amit Mishra purely makes the XI because of his lower economy rate, better strike rate and better average during their respective careers at SRH. If you compare their overall stats, Mishra is clearly the superior one.

Amit Mishra is the only bowler in IPL history to take three hat tricks. His 3rd hat trick came for Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2013 while playing against Pune Warriors India. Mishra is also the highest Indian wicket taker in IPL history. His best season for SRH came in 2013 as the leg spinner took 21 wickets. At 37, he remains a vital cog in the Delhi Capitals machinery with his deceitful leg-spin.

11. Siddarth Kaul

Kaul was a part of the U-19 team which won the world cup in Malaysia under Virat Kohli’s leadership. For the IPL’s inaugural season, a number of youth players from the U-19 team were chosen to play for their local teams. Kaul was chosen by the Kolkata Knight Riders. Kaul has also represented Delhi Daredevils in the past but has been a regular member in the Sunrisers squad since 2017.

He has picked up 49 wickets in IPL career, 43 of which have come whilst donning the orange kit of the Sunrisers Hyderabad. His 43 scalps make him the 3rd highest wicket taker for SRH, just behind Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rashid Khan. One drawback of his bowling is that he concedes runs at a rate of around 8.50 runs per over, but this could also be because batsman target him instead of going after bowlers like Rashid and Bhuvi.

He made his ODI & T20I debuts for India in 2018. Kaul is more than a handy bowler in the shortest format of the game and is one of the key bowlers in the Sunrisers set up. Although his economy rate is towards the high side of the spectrum, he balances it out by picking up important wickets. His best outing for SRH came in 2018 as he picked up 21 wickets at a strike rate of 18.85.