INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE, 2021

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Genuine title contenders again

Jason Holder proved a good addition to the SRH setup last season
Jason Holder proved a good addition to the SRH setup last season ©BCCI

Outlook

It took Sunrisers Hyderabad 10 games last year to find the right formula. Even though that's quite late in an IPL season, they still had time to turn their campaign around and make a late dash into the playoffs for the fifth consecutive time. The usual suspects delivered but more importantly, some new heroes emerged which convinced the management to not make wholesale changes to the squad ahead of the auction in February this year.

Constantly bogged down by one setback after another throughout the course of the season, SRH's ability to bounce back stood out in 2020. Sandeep Sharma stepped in for Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jason Holder made a successful comeback to the IPL, Abdul Samad showed promise but the headline-hogging performances were put up by T Natarajan. Going by his seamless transition from TNPL to IPL to international cricket, SRH will be fairly confident of 'Nattu' not showing any signs of the second season syndrome. Add a fit-again Bhuvneshwar and the dependable Rashid Khan to the mix, SRH are destined to hold onto the tag of possessing the best bowling attack.

Having won the title in 2016, the closest SRH came to regaining the trophy was in 2018 when they lost the final. Even though they made the playoffs once again in 2019, a middle order revamp ahead of the 2020 season had raised question marks over their ability to go all the way. But with the stars aligning towards the back end of the tournament last year, 2021 promises more than just a top 4 finish to cap off this successful cycle.

Where have they finished in this cycle?

2018: Runners-up || 2019: 4th || 2020: 3rd

Last season bugbear

Injuries and the middle order. Mitchell Marsh was a goner within minutes into their campaign in 2020, Bhuvneshwar was ruled out after four games, Vijay Shankar spent the majority of the season on the sidelines and even Wriddhiman Saha's dream resurgence was cut-short as a result of an injury towards the end. Their well-documented middle-order woes continued to haunt them as well, at least in the first half of the tournament, with the new faces struggling to step up.

Has it been fixed ahead of IPL 2021?

The issues with the middle order were pretty much fixed right at the end of last season. Moving Kane Williamson to number 4 gave them the much-needed stability and Holder's presence as a finisher was a welcome boost as well. With Bhuvneshwar, Vijay and Saha beginning the season fully fit, SRH will hope that the squad can function at full-throttle.

Just to add experience to that middle order, they also purchased Kedar Jadhav ahead of the season. The 36-year-old will be keen to make a mark following a nightmarish 2020 campaign for CSK.

Tactics Watch

SRH took a gamble last year by dismantling the dynamic opening duo of David Warner and Jonny Bairstow. The management was forced to make the desperate call following the Englishman's indifferent form and quite surprisingly, it worked. Saha at the top was belligerent as he finished the tournament with a strike rate close to 140 and an average above 70 in the four games he played.

They would want to stick to that formula which will in turn allow them a cushion of having an overseas batsman and an overseas allrounder to feature in the middle order. Saha at the top and Williamson at 4 will also mean a settled number 3 spot for Manish Pandey - a role that has brought the best out of him in this format.

With nine games scheduled to be held in spin-friendly Chennai and Delhi, SRH also have the option of using Mohammad Nabi in place of Holder if needed.

League phase venue split

Chennai (5) || New Delhi (4) || Kolkata (3) || Bengaluru (2)

SRH hardly used a second frontline spinner last year but that could well change this time around, at least in the first half of the season. The acquisition of Jagadeesha Suchith gives them more options and Shahbaz Nadeem will fancy his chances of getting more game time.

On the placid surfaces of Chinnaswamy and Eden Gardens, they might look to reunite Warner with Bairstow in search of big runs. This is a squad that looks well-balanced to make tactical switches based on the conditions.

Uncapped player Watch

SRH had quite a few uncapped players involved in a tussle for middle order berths last year. Priyam Garg showed promising signs, Abhishek Sharma received a run and the talented Virat Singh was in the mix for a starting berth as well. Eventually, it was Abdul Samad who grabbed eyeballs with his big-hitting ability.

Samad might have made only 111 runs last season but the fact that it came at a mind boggling strike rate of 170.76 gives SRH enough reasons to accommodate him as one of the finishers. The 19-year-old can also prove to be a handy leggie given the conditions they will be playing in.

Likely best XI

David Warner (C), Wriddhiman Saha, Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson, Vijay Shankar/Kedar Jadhav, Jason Holder/Mohammad Nabi, Abdul Samad, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, T Natarajan

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