Regarded as one of the most challenging T20 tournaments globally, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been a tough nut to crack since its establishment in 2008. Among the select few victorious teams stands Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), who clinched the coveted title in 2016, guided by the leadership of David Warner.
Leadership and coaching instability in Sunrisers Hyderabad
Following their runner-up finish in 2018, SRH continued to make playoff appearances in 2013, 2017, 2019, and 2020. However, their fortunes took a downturn in the last three years as they failed to progress beyond the league stage, culminating in bottom-of-the-standings finishes in both 2021 and 2023.
Since IPL 2021, SRH have appeared as an unsettled unit, undergoing three captaincy changes in as many years, with Warner leading in 2021, Kane Williamson in 2022, and Aiden Markram in 2023. Similarly, the team’s head coaches have faced a lack of stability, with Trevor Bayliss in 2021, Tom Moody in 2022 and Brian Lara in 2023.
Also READ: Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)’s best playing XI for IPL 2024
Overseas player selection dilemma for SRH in IPL 2024
In IPL 2024, SRH will be led by another new skipper, Australia‘s Pat Cummins, with Daniel Vettori as head coach and James Franklin as their fast bowling coach. During the IPL mini auction, SRH strengthened their overseas quality by acquiring the services of Cummins, Travis Head, and Wanindu Hasaranga, adding to their existing foreign players like Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, Glenn Phillips and Marco Jansen. Despite assembling a lineup of big names, SRH may face the challenge of plenty as, like other franchises in the league, they are also limited to fielding only four overseas players in their playing eleven.
Ravichandran Ashwin’s insights on SRH’s overseas player strategy
Renowned Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin recently attempted to decipher the situation and provided four names that could represent the overseas contingent of SRH in the tournament. Ashwin emphasized that Cummins is an obvious choice. Nevertheless, with Cummins as captain, the team could face a dilemma due to the abundance of star players.
Ashwin proposed retaining Head as backup and selecting Markram, Cummins, Klaasen and Hasaranga as the primary overseas players, citing Hasaranga’s crucial role. Ashwin also proposed flexibility by considering Fazalhaq Farooqi or Jansen as alternatives to Hasaranga, depending on the venue and conditions.
“Pat Cummins is a no-brainer. But with Cummins as a captain, they will have a problem of plenty in the team with so many stars. Keeping Travis Head as backup, they would go for Markram, Pat Cummins, (Heinrich) Klaasen, and (Wanindu) Hasaranga. Because Hasaranga is a crucial facet for them. If they decide Hasaranga is not needed, in some venues they can play (Fazalhaq) Farooqi or Marco Jansen instead of him. This is what I thought because it makes sense,” Ashwin said on his Youtube channel.
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