IPL 2024: Sunrisers Hyderabad team preview, season prediction, SWOT anlaysis, predicted XI, squads

IPL 2024: Sunrisers Hyderabad faces a conundrum after the significant signing of Pat Cummins, dealing with an abundance of overseas players.

Pat Cummins, who was snapped up by Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 20.50 crore, has been appointed SRH captain for upcoming IPL. | Photo Credit: PTI

SRH Team Preview

Sunrisers Hyderabad faces a conundrum after the significant signing of Pat Cummins, dealing with an abundance of overseas players.

Trying to accommodate eight players into four slots raises challenges for team balance. The hefty ₹20.5 crore investment in Cummins suggested a potential leadership shift under head coach Daniel Vettori, and it was confirmed when SRH announced Cummins as captain for the next season. Travis Head’s impressive T20 strike rate of 152-plus in 2024 may impact the position of last season’s captain, Aiden Markram.

Highlights

• Matches: 166
• Won: 78
• Titles: 1 (2016)

Choosing Markram might mean missing out on players like Heinrich Klaasen and Glenn Phillips. Additionally, only one among Marco Jansen, Fazalhaq Farooqi, or Wanindu Hasaranga may find a spot in the playing XI, with Hasaranga having an edge due to the existing Indian pace trio of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umran Malik, and T. Natarajan.

The evergreen: Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who won the Purple Cap with SRH in 2016 and 2017, will again be the side’s lead pacer this season. | Photo Credit: AFP

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Beyond overseas slots, Sunrisers have clear roles for Indian players, including Mayank Agarwal, Rahul Tripathi, Abhishek Sharma, the second-highest run-getter in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) this season, and Washington Sundar. With the addition of Upendra Yadav, who scored at a whopping rate of 172 in the SMAT, the team aims to bolster its lower-middle order.

Prediction

While the team appears strong on paper, coach Vettori will be cautious after last season’s disappointments. If he can strategically align the players and tactics, the 2016 champion has the potential to secure a spot in the playoffs.

Predicted XI: Mayank Agarwal, Travis Head, Rahul Tripathi, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Upendra Yadav, Pat Cummins (c), Washington Sundar, Wanindu Hasaranga, Umran Malik, T. Natarajan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Squad: Glenn Phillips (NZ), Upendra Singh Yadav, Heinrich Klaasen (SA),  Abdul Samad, Aiden Markram (SA), Rahul Tripathi, Mayank Agarwal, Travis Head (AUS), Anmolpreet Singh,  Washington Sundar, Abhishek Sharma, Shahbaz Ahmed, Sanvir Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Marco Jansen (SA), Pat Cummins (AUS), T. Natarajan, Mayank Markande, Umran Malik, Wanindu Hasaranga (SL), Jaydev Unadkat, Akash Singh, Fazalhaq Farooqi (AFG), Jhathavedh Subramanyan.