IPL 2019: Sunrisers Hyderabad Predicted XI

As always, the Sunrisers Hyderabad were pretty shrewd at the auction table and only attempted for the resources they wanted. Not much alterations were made to the side that represented last season and it might not come in as a surprise if they play the same XI that played in the final against Chennai, with David Warner coming in place of Shikhar Dhawan.

The World Cup is going to be a huge constraint for the tournament as many big players, especially the ones from Australia and England, will be leaving on or before April 25th to join their respective International sides. The SRH management made some canny buys keeping the intricate schedules in mind and they look utterly strong to challenge for another title.

David Warner’s comeback is going to be a huge boost for the side and if he doubles up with Kane Williamson in the batting order, the fans will be up for a treat. The bowling unit as always will be a strong one but the permutations this time will be very different.

Here’s the predicted XI of the Orange Army for the tournament.

Openers (David Warner and Wriddhiman Saha)

Sunrisers will welcome their stalwart David Warner with open arms, but there’s a good chance that Kane Williamson will continue as the captain. It was under the stewardship of Warner the Orange Army became a force to reckon with and he will be keen to make this side a lot stronger than it was previously. Once he leaves on World Cup duties, Martin Guptill is expected to take over his position.

We might’ve seen the end of one of the greatest opening partnerships in T20 history with Shikhar Dhawan moving to the Delhi Capitals. David-Dhawan combo was deadly and formed the pillar for SRH for a long time. Wriddhiman Saha does have the mettle to be a good opener, but after a dismal season last time, it will be interesting to see how well he fares. They might also go for Jonny Bairstow as an opener, but to accommodate him in this XI is pretty difficult.

Middle order (Kane Williamson (C), Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan)

Leading the Sunrisers’ lines once again will be Kane Williamson, who certainly was the side’s catalyst in their glorious campaign. With over 700 runs in the tournament, he proved the world that he can do anything in this game and the fans will be waiting in all readiness to see him and Warner in action.

VVS Laxman and Tom Moody have placed their trust once again on Manish Pandey and didn’t risk by taking him to the auction. He has a huge responsibility to shoulder and will be accompanied by one of the IPL legends Yusuf Pathan. Their good performances would matter a lot to the side who currently appear a bit too dependent on Williamson and Warner for runs.

All-rounders (Shakib Al Hasan, Vijay Shankar)

A proven match-winner, Shakib Al Hasan had a huge impact on Sunrisers in his very first season. He too might not be available for the whole season, which is a pity, but for as long as he’s with the team, he will be in the XI. Given he’s unavailable, they might rope in Jonny Bairstow and accommodate an extra Indian all-rounder in the side.

Vijay Shankar might have to battle for his place, but he will get the initial nod for his experience. Abhishek Sharma is another great talent lurking around to get a place, but Shankar, who makes a return to the Sunrisers, will find a great place in the ranks to prove his worth.

Bowlers (Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed)

The trickiest of all segments in the bowling contingent. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Khaleel Ahmed are in consideration for a World Cup spot, which might rule them out for the whole tournament. Given that happens, the bowling department responsibility will be shouldered by Siddarth Kaul and Rashid Khan.

Basil Thampi and T Natarajan will be the beneficiaries if Bhuvneshwar and Khaleel are ruled out. Another great addition to the side is Shahbaz Nadeem, who is coming on the back of a sensational Vijay Hazare campaign. It will be tough for them to live up to the tag of “Best bowling unit” with all these complications, but the team, on the whole, looks pretty solid to go big.

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