Sunrisers Hyderabad have won just a single game from their three outings so far in the Indian Premier League 2023. They defeated Punjab Kings by eight wickets in their previous outing after chasing down the target of 144 runs in 17.1 overs. SRH have made some significant changes to the squad as well as supporting staff this season. Proteas batter Aiden Markram has been appointed the side’s skipper, while Brian Lara’s role was upgraded from batting coach to head coach.
Markram led the Sunrisers Eastern Cape to win the inaugural edition of the SA20 and has been named the captain of South Africa in T20Is. In the mini-auction, they shelled out a huge amount of INR 13.25 crores to have the services of Harry Brook. The other big buys were Mayank Agarwal for INR 8.25 crores and Heinrich Klaasen for INR 5.25 crores. They also bought spinners Adil Rashid and Akeal Hosein for their base price.
SRH Team Setup in IPL 2023
SRH have used Aiden Markram, Harry Brook, Heinrich Klaasen, Marco Jansen, Adil Rashid, and Glenn Phillips as the overseas players in the three games so far. SRH have done a lot of experiment with their batting order this season. Mayank Agarwal has been given the opener role, but three different partners have been used alongside him. This move has not worked so far, as SRH have not had a partnership of more than 30 runs for the first wicket so far.
Rahul Tripathi has enjoyed batting in the number three position so far and has emerged as the leading run-scorer for the team. Tripathi has made 108 runs in three games at a strike rate of 118.68, including a half-century in the last game. Markram batted in the number four position and was dismissed for a duck in his captaincy debut. In the last game, Markram scored an unbeaten 37 runs off 21 deliveries to help the team register their first victory.
The lower middle order is another department where the Sunrisers Hyderabad have done a lot of experiments. Harry Brook batted in the number five position in the second game and was promoted as an opener in the next game. Heinrich Klaasen made his SRH debut in the last game but didn’t get a chance to bat. Klaasen has scored 290 runs at a strike rate of 140.77 in 15 T20I innings for South Africa while batting in this position and might play a big role for SRH in the upcoming games.
Washington Sundar, Marco Jansen, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are batting in the next three positions. Sundar has played the role of a finisher for India in the recent past. Jansen and Bhuvneshwar can also swing the bat if required. Mayank Markande made his SRH debut in the last game and returned with a figures of four for 15 runs in four overs. SRH have the pace attack consisting of two of the best pacers in the tournament, Umran Malik and T Natarajan.
Brook is yet to play a significant inning for SRH in the tournament, which might concern them. Their playing 11 in the last game covered most of the bases. If they continue to use the same in the upcoming games, SRH can easily accommodate an Indian batter as an impact player. They can replace Marco Jansen with either Adil Rashid or Akeal Hosein when they play on spinning tracks.
Important Upcoming Encounters for SRH
SRH will next play against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens on Friday (April 14), and they might dominate, considering they have won two out of the last three games at this venue. Three of the next five games are scheduled at their home venue, and they will be looking to register their first victory here this season. In the last week of April, Sunrisers Hyderabad will host Delhi Capitals in Hyderabad and then go to Delhi to play against the Capitals. The next five games will be really important for SRH as they have managed to win just one game from their first three outings.
Can SRH Win IPL 2023?
On paper, SRH looks like one of the best teams this season and have backup options for almost every player. They have the best mixture of young Indian players and overseas players. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the most experienced player in the squad and is the leading wicket-taker as well. However, SRH still needs to decide on their first playing 11 and must do the same as soon as possible.
SRH won the IPL trophy in their fourth year of existence and qualified for the playoffs for five straight seasons from 2016 to 2020. SRH have finished in the 8th place each time in the last two seasons. This year, they have an excellent batting unit combined with one of the best pace attacks among all the teams. Sunrisers Hyderabad have the opportunity to win the trophy this season if they manage to sort out the issue related to playing 11 in the next few games.
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