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The squad that has been affected the most after Cricket Australia’s decision to ban the trio of Warner, Smith and Bancroft, thereby leading to IPL too banning the players for a year, has been Sunrisers Hyderabad. SRH will be without the services of their captain and their best batsman, David Warner. However, he has been replace by a leader who is equally good, Kane Williamson. Williamson will have to help the boys forget the loss of their skipper and focus on the season ahead.

SRH have qualified for the play-offs thrice, out of which they were crowned champions once, in the 2016 edition. With most of the core team back, keeping aside the absence of Warner, SRH fans will be hoping for a good season.

Strengths

Without a doubt, the best bowling line-up among all the 8 teams. Have quality Indian as well as international pace bowlers, Bhuvaneshwar, Thampi, Stanlake, Jordan to name a few. In addition to this, the No.1 ranked T20 bowler, Rashid Khan as well. Having so many options gives the captain a very nice headache. With ample back-up options as well, SRH have got their bowling attack bang on.

     SRH have the best bowling attack in this year’s IPL

The all-rounder pool at Williamson’s disposal is also very strong. SRH have the luxury to chop and change them, as per the need of each game.

Areas of concern

The loss of their talisman, David Warner, is a huge void to fill. Warner has been exceptional for SRH in the last three seasons, scoring 2051 runs at a strike rate of almost 150 and at an average of more than 50. In addition to this, Warner was the Orange cap winner in the 2015 and 2017 seasons, and had also led SRH to their first title in the 2016 season. So replacing someone of his caliber is sure to be a difficult task, if not an impossible one. However, SRH have replaced him with Wiliamson, who is himself a very good batsman as well as a leader. Having said that, he will have huge boots to fill, not only as a leader but also as a batsman.

SunRisers Hyderabad squad – IPL 2018

Probable Starting XI:Kane Williamson, Shikhar Dhawan, Manish Pandey, Shakib al Hasan, Yusuf Pathan, Carlos Brathwaite, Wriddhiman Saha, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Basil Thampi

Top-order

Dhawan and Williamson at the top should give SRH the platform on which their hitters can build later on. Williamson who is not a very big-hitter, might find it difficult to get going if he comes down the order, hence should open the batting so that he can play his strokes and also get full value for it early on in the innings. Dhawan has been a regular for SRH at the top and he will continue to open for them. Next at number 3 should be Manish Pandey. He can keep knocking the ball around while the explosive players at the other end, like Pathan and Brathwaite, go about their business. He can also get those big shots out when he starts to open up.

Middle-order

Shakib at four, followed by Pathan and Brathwaite. These three might be shifted up and down depending on the match situation. Shakib and Brathwaite can also give eight overs every match. Pathan and Brathwaite in the middle-order can cause troubles to a lot of teams, while Shakib. with his huge wealth of experience, can act as the pivot around which the power-hitters can flourish.

Lower middle-order

If SRH plan to use Brathwaite as a finisher, Saha will be promoted up the order and will be given the license to go after the bowling. If not, Saha at number 6 also can do a lot of damage towards the end of the innings. Rashid and Bhuvi can be floated up and down as required, as both can get some quick runs for the team.

Bowlers

As for the bowling, in Bhuvi and Rashid, SRH have two of the best T20 bowlers. Their performance over the past one year, as well as in the previous IPL, is proof for that. They can bowl equally well at the start, in the middle overs as well as the death overs. Sandeep Sharma and Basil Thampi complete the starting line-up for SRH. While Sandeep, who is a very good new ball bowler, will be used more in the powerplay overs, Thampi will be SRH’s go to man at the death alongside Bhuvi.

Players to watch out for

SRH have had solid opening stands most of the times over the last couple of years, with Warner and Dhawan. Their successes in these times can be attributed to mainly two things, their bowling and the strong foundation set by the openers at the top. With the absence of Warner this time, Shikhar Dhawan will be expected to lead their batting. The onus will be on Dhawan to set solid platforms at the top, alongwith Williamson this time, to let the batsmen coming lower down the order launch an all-out attack.

   The Dhawan(r) and Williamson(l) combo at the top                         will be key to SRH’s success

Rashid Khan, last year, caught the eye within the first couple of matches itself. Between the last and coming IPL, he has gone on to achieve a lot of success at the franchise as well as international level. SRH will be looking at Rashid Khan to choke the batsmen with his googlies and quicker-ones and get them those vital breakthroughs at the middle and end overs. If he is on top of his game then SRH have a great chance of going all the way in the tournament.

The purple cap winner last year, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, has evolved into one of the best T20 bowlers. Having started out as a genuine swing bowler, he has become extremely skilful in the death overs, over the last couple of seasons. He has now become one of India’s finest death bowlers, both in T20’s and one-dayers. He will ,once again, play a crucial role in SRH’s campaign and will be the leader of their bowling attack.

SRH’s new acquisition, Shakib al Hasan, is a superb player to have in any T20 side. His all-round abilities should come in handy for them. Also, having had a lot of experience captaining a side, Williamson will have someone around to whom he can turn to for advice.

Expected position in the league table: Play-offs

SunRisers Hyderabad start their IPL campaign with a home game, an 8pm start, against Rajasthan Royals on 9th April.

Full schedule of Sunrisers Hyderabad