The <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ipl-2018-tom-moody-makes-a-promise-to-srh-fans-after-finishing-second/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Sunrisers Hyderabad</strong></a> have had an amazing IPL 2018. Although they lost in the finals to CSK, the teams&#8217; journey this year was just spectacular. Remember, they were playing in the absence of their skipper and most important batsman in David Warner. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who is another pillar of their side also played with an injury. This injury definitely affected his performance in the season.

At the same time, Kane Williamson has to be commended for leading the side beautifully. He has made the best possible use of resources that he had. However, the shortcoming of the side could be clearly felt. The team struggled with its middle order. One of the biggest disappointments out there was Manish Pandey.

Pandey, who was a vital cog in KKR lineup had a terrific IPL 2017. Hence, he was paid a hefty amount of INR 11 crores by SRH to acquire his services. However, his stint with SRH this year was very disappointing. He couldn&#8217;t get going in the middle overs making the SRH middle-order highly unstable.

Manish has scored 284 runs in 15 games this year at an average of 26 while his average last year was 50. His strike rate also took a dip and struggled to time the ball properly throughout this season. As a result, he had to be dropped from the side in the playoffs.

Here are the three players SRH could have bought instead of Manish Pandey:

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-251642" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/KL-Rahul-3.jpg" alt="KL Rahul" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-251642" class="wp-caption-text">Lokesh Rahul of Kings XI Punjab in action. (Photo by IANS)</figcaption>

The Sunrisers Hyderabad management will surely regret not buying <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ipl-2018-5-senior-players-rose-occasion/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>KL Rahul</strong></a> at the IPL auction. Rahul, who started his IPL career with the Sunrisers Hyderabad later shifted to RCB as a part of the player transfer program. In the mega-auction this year, the Rajasthan Royals and the Mumbai Indians bid for him up to INR 6 crores. Later, it was SRH and KXIP who were involved in a fierce bidding battle for him.

SRH bid up to INR 10.5 crores but gave up at INR 11 crores. They bought Saha for INR 5 crores later who also didn&#8217;t yield positive results for them. SRH should have invested more on KL as he also doubles up as the wicket-keeper. KL had a terrific IPL 2018 and has scored 659 runs in 14 games at an average of 55.<br>

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-244474" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ambati-Rayudu-1.jpg" alt="Ambati Rayudu" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-244474" class="wp-caption-text">Ambati Rayudu plays a shot. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>

Ambati Rayudu currently leads Hyderabad in the first-class circuit. After he parted ways with Baroda Cricket Association, Rayudu came back to Hyderabad and is a vital cog in their line up. Hence, it was expected that the Sunrisers Hyderabad would show interest in him and bid for him in the auction.

However, to everyone&#8217;s surprise, the Sunrisers Hyderabad franchise didn&#8217;t even attempt at bidding for him. They could have easily bought this Hyderabadi batsman given the fact that he doubles up as a decent wicket-keeper. But, SRH not bidding for him proved to be a huge tactical error. Playing for CSK this year, Rayudu scored 602 runs at an average of 43 and was one of the leading run-scorers in the league.

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-250802" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Dinesh-Karthik.jpg" alt="Dinesh Karthik" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-250802" class="wp-caption-text">Kolkata Knight Riders&#8217; Dinesh Karthik in action. (Photo by IANS)</figcaption>

Sunrisers Hyderabad&#8217;s woes to find a good wicket-keeper capable of batting consistently is well-known to all. They picked Wriddhiman Saha this year in the auction. Although Saha is one of the best keepers in the country, he is not known for his T20 heroics much.

This proved to be the case this year as well where Saha failed miserably with the bat. SRH could have easily invested on <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/nitish-ranas-run-turning-point-chase-dinesh-karthik/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Dinesh Karthik</strong></a> instead of Manish Pandey. That would have given them the stability in the middle-order and DK&#8217;s form this year has just been amazing. Karthik has scored 498 runs at an average close to 50 for KKR this season and also led the side.

<p>The <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ipl-2018-tom-moody-makes-a-promise-to-srh-fans-after-finishing-second/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Sunrisers Hyderabad</strong></a> have had an amazing IPL 2018. Although they lost in the finals to CSK, the teams’ journey this year was just spectacular. Remember, they were playing in the absence of their skipper and most important batsman in David Warner. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who is another pillar of their side also played with an injury. This injury definitely affected his performance in the season.</p>
<p>At the same time, Kane Williamson has to be commended for leading the side beautifully. He has made the best possible use of resources that he had. However, the shortcoming of the side could be clearly felt. The team struggled with its middle order. One of the biggest disappointments out there was Manish Pandey.</p>
<p>Pandey, who was a vital cog in KKR lineup had a terrific IPL 2017. Hence, he was paid a hefty amount of INR 11 crores by SRH to acquire his services. However, his stint with SRH this year was very disappointing. He couldn’t get going in the middle overs making the SRH middle-order highly unstable.</p>
<p>Manish has scored 284 runs in 15 games this year at an average of 26 while his average last year was 50. His strike rate also took a dip and struggled to time the ball properly throughout this season. As a result, he had to be dropped from the side in the playoffs.</p>
<h3>Here are the three players SRH could have bought instead of Manish Pandey:</h3>
<h3>1. KL Rahul</h3>
<figure id="attachment_251642" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-251642" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-251642" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/KL-Rahul-3.jpg" alt="KL Rahul" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-251642" class="wp-caption-text">Lokesh Rahul of Kings XI Punjab in action. (Photo by IANS)</figcaption></figure>
<p>The Sunrisers Hyderabad management will surely regret not buying <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ipl-2018-5-senior-players-rose-occasion/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>KL Rahul</strong></a> at the IPL auction. Rahul, who started his IPL career with the Sunrisers Hyderabad later shifted to RCB as a part of the player transfer program. In the mega-auction this year, the Rajasthan Royals and the Mumbai Indians bid for him up to INR 6 crores. Later, it was SRH and KXIP who were involved in a fierce bidding battle for him.</p>
<p>SRH bid up to&nbsp;INR 10.5 crores but gave up at INR 11 crores. They bought Saha for INR 5 crores later who also didn’t yield positive results for them. SRH should have invested more on KL as he also doubles up as the wicket-keeper. KL had a terrific IPL 2018 and has scored 659 runs in 14 games at an average of 55.<br>
</p>
<h3>2. Ambati Rayudu</h3>
<figure id="attachment_244474" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-244474" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-244474" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ambati-Rayudu-1.jpg" alt="Ambati Rayudu" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-244474" class="wp-caption-text">Ambati Rayudu plays a shot. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Ambati Rayudu currently leads Hyderabad in the first-class circuit. After he parted ways with Baroda Cricket Association, Rayudu came back to Hyderabad and is a vital cog in their line up. Hence, it was expected that the Sunrisers Hyderabad would show interest in him and bid for him in the auction.</p>
<p>However, to everyone’s surprise, the Sunrisers Hyderabad franchise didn’t even attempt at bidding for him. They could have easily bought this Hyderabadi batsman given the fact that he doubles up as a decent wicket-keeper. But, SRH not bidding for him proved to be a huge tactical error. Playing for CSK this year, Rayudu scored 602 runs at an average of 43 and was one of the leading run-scorers in the league.</p>
<p></p>
<h3>3. Dinesh Karthik</h3>
<figure id="attachment_250802" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-250802" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-250802" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Dinesh-Karthik.jpg" alt="Dinesh Karthik" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-250802" class="wp-caption-text">Kolkata Knight Riders’ Dinesh Karthik in action. (Photo by IANS)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Sunrisers Hyderabad’s woes to find a good wicket-keeper capable of batting consistently is well-known to all. They picked Wriddhiman Saha this year in the auction. Although Saha is one of the best keepers in the country, he is not known for his T20 heroics much.</p>
<p>This proved to be the case this year as well where Saha failed miserably with the bat. SRH could have easily invested on <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/nitish-ranas-run-turning-point-chase-dinesh-karthik/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Dinesh Karthik</strong></a> instead of Manish Pandey. That would have given them the stability in the middle-order and DK’s form this year has just been amazing. Karthik has scored 498 runs at an average close to 50 for KKR this season and also led the side.</p>

<p>The <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ipl-2018-tom-moody-makes-a-promise-to-srh-fans-after-finishing-second/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Sunrisers Hyderabad</strong></a> have had an amazing IPL 2018. Although they lost in the finals to CSK, the teams&#8217; journey this year was just spectacular. Remember, they were playing in the absence of their skipper and most important batsman in David Warner. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who is another pillar of their side also played with an injury. This injury definitely affected his performance in the season.</p>
<p>At the same time, Kane Williamson has to be commended for leading the side beautifully. He has made the best possible use of resources that he had. However, the shortcoming of the side could be clearly felt. The team struggled with its middle order. One of the biggest disappointments out there was Manish Pandey.</p>
<p>Pandey, who was a vital cog in KKR lineup had a terrific IPL 2017. Hence, he was paid a hefty amount of INR 11 crores by SRH to acquire his services. However, his stint with SRH this year was very disappointing. He couldn&#8217;t get going in the middle overs making the SRH middle-order highly unstable.</p>
<p>Manish has scored 284 runs in 15 games this year at an average of 26 while his average last year was 50. His strike rate also took a dip and struggled to time the ball properly throughout this season. As a result, he had to be dropped from the side in the playoffs.</p>
<h3>Here are the three players SRH could have bought instead of Manish Pandey:</h3>
<h3>1. KL Rahul</h3>
<figure id="attachment_251642" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-251642" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-251642" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/KL-Rahul-3.jpg" alt="KL Rahul" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-251642" class="wp-caption-text">Lokesh Rahul of Kings XI Punjab in action. (Photo by IANS)</figcaption></figure>
<p>The Sunrisers Hyderabad management will surely regret not buying <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ipl-2018-5-senior-players-rose-occasion/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>KL Rahul</strong></a> at the IPL auction. Rahul, who started his IPL career with the Sunrisers Hyderabad later shifted to RCB as a part of the player transfer program. In the mega-auction this year, the Rajasthan Royals and the Mumbai Indians bid for him up to INR 6 crores. Later, it was SRH and KXIP who were involved in a fierce bidding battle for him.</p>
<p>SRH bid up to INR 10.5 crores but gave up at INR 11 crores. They bought Saha for INR 5 crores later who also didn&#8217;t yield positive results for them. SRH should have invested more on KL as he also doubles up as the wicket-keeper. KL had a terrific IPL 2018 and has scored 659 runs in 14 games at an average of 55.<br>
</p>
<h3>2. Ambati Rayudu</h3>
<figure id="attachment_244474" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-244474" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-244474" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ambati-Rayudu-1.jpg" alt="Ambati Rayudu" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-244474" class="wp-caption-text">Ambati Rayudu plays a shot. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Ambati Rayudu currently leads Hyderabad in the first-class circuit. After he parted ways with Baroda Cricket Association, Rayudu came back to Hyderabad and is a vital cog in their line up. Hence, it was expected that the Sunrisers Hyderabad would show interest in him and bid for him in the auction.</p>
<p>However, to everyone&#8217;s surprise, the Sunrisers Hyderabad franchise didn&#8217;t even attempt at bidding for him. They could have easily bought this Hyderabadi batsman given the fact that he doubles up as a decent wicket-keeper. But, SRH not bidding for him proved to be a huge tactical error. Playing for CSK this year, Rayudu scored 602 runs at an average of 43 and was one of the leading run-scorers in the league.</p>
<p></p>
<h3>3. Dinesh Karthik</h3>
<figure id="attachment_250802" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-250802" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-250802" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Dinesh-Karthik.jpg" alt="Dinesh Karthik" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-250802" class="wp-caption-text">Kolkata Knight Riders&#8217; Dinesh Karthik in action. (Photo by IANS)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Sunrisers Hyderabad&#8217;s woes to find a good wicket-keeper capable of batting consistently is well-known to all. They picked Wriddhiman Saha this year in the auction. Although Saha is one of the best keepers in the country, he is not known for his T20 heroics much.</p>
<p>This proved to be the case this year as well where Saha failed miserably with the bat. SRH could have easily invested on <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/nitish-ranas-run-turning-point-chase-dinesh-karthik/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Dinesh Karthik</strong></a> instead of Manish Pandey. That would have given them the stability in the middle-order and DK&#8217;s form this year has just been amazing. Karthik has scored 498 runs at an average close to 50 for KKR this season and also led the side.</p>

The Sunrisers missed a trick by not going after these three players

IPL 2018: Three players SRH could have bought instead of Manish Pandey

Instead of investing so much on Manish Pandey, the Sunrisers Hyderabad could have easily bought at least one of these three players this season.