SRH - IPL 2021 in UAE Team Preview

The Indian Premier League will be back next month with the 1st match of the second instalment scheduled to be played on September 19th at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai. IPL 2016 winner Sunrisers Hyderabad is all geared up to take on the field after having a disastrous 1st instalment in India. The last time when they played in UAE, they reached the qualifiers. So, is there a comeback on the line for SRH? They are bettors least favourite team based on the current ranking in the points table.

Let’s find out what has happened with Sunrisers so far and where they can finish this season.

History of SunRisers Hyderabad

After winning the second edition of the IPL under the captaincy of Adam Gilchrist, the Hyderabad based franchise (then known as Deccan Chargers) went through a change of owners in 2012. They reached the playoffs of the IPL 2013. In the following two seasons they finished 6th in the table.

They won their maiden title under the new name in the IPL 2016 under the captaincy of David Warner. Warner scored 848 runs in the tournament while Bhuvneshwar Kumar took the ‘Purple Cap’ by taking 23 wickets. Since 2015 they have had 4 Orange caps (David Warner-3, Kane Williamson-1) and 2 Purple Caps (Both belong to Bhuvneshwar Kumar). They haven’t missed a playoff since they have been crowned as champions.

IPL 2021 Auction

After finishing third in the IPL 2020, SRH released 5 non-playing members from the team before the IPL 2021 mini-auction - Billy Stanlake, Fabian Allen, Yarra Prithviraj, B Sandeep, and Sanjay Yadav. With only three players to sign to complete the 25-man squad, SRH came to the auction having INR 10.75 crore (Approx. USD 1.47 million) in their purse. They went for Karnataka Spinner and a useful lower-order batsman Jagdeesha Suchith first. The IPL 2015 champion with Mumbai, Suchith came with an experience of 10 wickets in 13 matches at an economy rate of 8.64.

Followed by Suchith they signed Indian all-rounder Kedar Jadhav who spent most of his career playing for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for his base price of INR 2 crore (Approx. USD 273 K) to strengthen their middle-order and Afghanistan off-spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman for INR 1.5 crore (USC 205 K). With Mujeeb’s inclusion, SRH now have the 3 most prolific Afghani players in their squad (others being Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi).

Players Out: Billy Stanlake, Fabian Allen, Yarra Prithviraj, B Sandeep, Sanjay Yadav

Players In: Jagadeesha Suchith, Kedar Jadhav, Mujeeb Ur Rahman

IPL 2021 so far

SRH started their campaign against Kolkata Knight Riders in Chennai. Chasing 188 Manish Pandey and Jonny Bairstow scored half-centuries each. But they couldn’t catch the required run rate and lost the game by 10 runs. Somewhat that’s the case of SRH throughout this season. They lost the next two games against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Mumbai Indians (MI) by narrow margins.

SRH’s first victory came in their 4th game of the season against Punjab Kings. SRH won the game by 9 wickets while chasing 121 runs. Next, they lost to Delhi Capitals (DC) in a super over followed by losses against CSK and Rajasthan Royals (RR). They are currently at the bottom of the points table with 2 points in 7 matches.

SRH players have scored 7 fifties this season. That is 1 per game. But they are lacking to pace the innings. This has cost them 4 games. Except for Jonny Bairstow, SRHs top-order have very poor strike rates. Kane Williamson (126.73), Manish Pandey (123.71), and David Warner (110.28) have not played up to the mark like last 5 seasons.

SRH's middle-order has not clicked yet in IPL 2021. Vijay Shankar (58 runs in 5 innings), Abdul Samad (36 runs in 4 innings), and Kedar Jadhav (40 runs in 3 innings) clearly show that the performance of SRH’s middle order in the first instalment of the IPL 2021 is not up to the mark.

SRH is yet to figure out their best possible overseas combination. Which makes it hard for SRH games IPL tips. They kept Williamson out in the first 3 games. Jason Holder has got a single game even after taking 3 wickets. Forget everything, their all-time leading run-scorer and three times orange cap holder David Warner was removed from captaincy and was forced to sit out their last game following the discussion with the management.

Key Players

Jonny Bairstow: Bairstow has scored 248 runs in 7 games at a strike rate of 141.71. He has 2 fifties.

Manish Pandey: Pandey is the second leading run-scorer for SRH with 193 runs. He has done a fabulous job in strengthening the top-order for SRH this season.

Rashid Khan: Just like last few seasons, Rashid Khan is the leading wicket-taker for SRH with 10 wickets at an average of 17.20

Performances of Players bought in IPL Auction 2021

Kedar Jadhav: Jadhav is the most utilized amongst the players who came in the squad this season. But he hasn’t produced much with the bat. Jadhav has scored 40 runs in 3 innings at a strike rate of 125.

Jagdeesha Suchith: In 2 matches Suchith has scored 14 runs and yet to pick a wicket after bowling 7 overs for 66 runs.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman: Rahman has only got a game and has taken 2 wickets for 29 runs in his 4 overs spell.

SunRisers Hyderabad Squad:

David Warner, Abhishek Sharma, Basil Thampi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jonny Bairstow, Kane Williamson (C), Manish Pandey, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Shahbaz Nadeem, Kedar Jadhav, Mujeeb ur Rahman, J Suchith, Shreevats Goswami, Siddarth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed, T Natarajan, Vijay Shankar, Wriddhiman Saha, Abdul Samad, Mitchell Marsh, Jason Holder, Priyam Garg, Virat Singh

Expectations for IPL 2021’s second instalment

Against Delhi Capitals: SRH are set to start their campaign against the table-toppers DC. SRH lost to them in the super over already. Though DC is the favourite to win the battle, SRH will be looking forward to taking the revenge of the last ball heartbreak.

Against Punjab Kings and Chennai Super Kings: SRH will be playing both teams at Sharjah where they had good results last season. They are looked at as favourites to win these games.

Against KKR: Like SRH KKR is also struggling this season to win. Though SRH lost both their games against KKR last season in UAE, the current form of the KKR players tilts the outcome of this game on the SRH side.

The IPL odds are against SRH, but if you fancy placing a bet on them on 10CRIC India betting site, go for it!

Conclusion

Though the first instalment resulted to be harsh for SRH, they still have hopes to qualify for the playoffs. With the new venue and the return of T Natarajan from the injury can prove a stepping stone in their quest to qualify for the playoffs.