IPL 2019: The look of the Sunrisers Hyderabad squad without their top players

2019 will possibly see the most action-packed summer of cricket in the last decade or two, as England are all set to host the World Cup as well as the Ashes. While the latter will only concern the English and the Australians, the World Cup will bring 10 of the world’s best ODI teams on one platform to fight for the most coveted trophy in the sport.

Steve Smith currently has that piece of silverware safely stowed away in his cabinet, but it is likely to change hands in 2019. Each of the teams will give themselves the best chance to lift the World Cup, and in order to be in serious contention, they’ll need to sweat it out in the nets prior to the tournament.

Preparation as a unit is key for an event like the World Cup, which will see the respective boards putting their interests over and above everything else. Unfortunately for IPL fans, the annual T20 festival in India will take a slight hit as star players are likely to exit the event early to join their national sides ahead of the World Cup.

Amongst the 8 teams who dazzled in the IPL last season, it’s the Sunrisers Hyderabad who could be the most vulnerable side after some of its international signings step away from a part or the entirety of the tournament next year. SRH have been a phenomenal side, having clinched their maiden title in 2016 and made the final last season.

However, the returning Chennai Super Kings were too impatient to lay their hands on the cup once again and overhauled the Sunrisers in the final. In retrospect, the runners-up were highly relying on overseas talent, which could mean that they will look a depleted side towards the business end of the tournament next year.

The fact that New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson went home with the Orange Cap, and Afghanistan’s spin sensation Rashid Khan came second to only Andrew Tye in the race for the Purple Cap, speaks volumes about SRH’s dependence on their foreign players. Williamson finished with a whopping 735 runs last season, while Rashid bagged 21 wickets.

To add to SRH’s 2019 woes, Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, who picked up 14 scalps and also scored 239 runs, will probably have to fly to England midway through the IPL and get on with training. The other two overseas signings who are likely to leave the Sunrisers well before the Playoffs are Australia’s Billy Stanlake and England opener Alex Hales.

This essentially leaves the Hyderabad-based franchise in tatters. Their bowling line-up will still be led by Bhuvneshwar Kumar and have the likes of Sandeep Sharma and Siddharth Kaul, both capped Indian players who were amongst the wickets last year. But their spin department, which has been an absolute powerhouse, will be practically non-existent.

Meanwhile, with Shikhar Dhawan eager to abandon the Sunrisers, their batting order will be left with Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan, and Deepak Hooda. There’s a cloud of doubt hovering over Wriddhiman Saha since his injury saw him exit the Indian Test side. And as if SRH were destined to face a number of blows at the same time, David Warner could still be asked by the BCCI to stay away from the IPL. The batting line-up’s chances hence look very bleak as well.

The long and short of the Sunrisers Hyderabad’s 2019 IPL prospects are that they are in deep trouble. Their squad, without their wealth of international talent, looks as good as a state level team. They’d only hope they discuss this issue at length well before the twelfth edition of the IPL gets underway. Otherwise, the second half of the tournament could see the Sunrisers in a rather sorry state, longing for the Williamsons and Rashids who will be busy preparing for the World Cup.

Sunrisers Hyderabad Strongest XI from Remaining Players:

Shreevats Goswami (wk), Tanmay Agarwal, Manish Pandey (c), Yusuf Pathan, Carlos Brathwaite, Deepak Hooda, Chris Jordan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, Siddharth Kaul, Mehdi Hasan

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