3 reasons why SRH would be pleased with their performance at IPL 2022 Auction

2016 Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) picked up 20 players at the mega auction in Bengaluru. They retained three players ahead of the auction - Kane Williamson (₹14 crore) and Abdul Samad and Umran Malik (₹4 crore each). Thus, they went into the auction with a purse of ₹68 crore.

With plenty of money left in the bank, SRH picked up a few players for hefty prices. They purchased West Indies’ limited-overs vice-captain Nicholas Pooran for ₹10.75 crore - their most expensive buy at the auction. They also bought all-rounder Washington Sundar for ₹8.75 crore and aggressive batter Rahul Tripathi for ₹8.5 crore.

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IPL 2022 Auction: Why SRH must be happy

SRH had a disastrous season last year both on and off the field as they ended up at the bottom of the points table. Here’s a look at three reasons why they would be pleased with their performance at the IPL 2022 auction.

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#1 Picking two all-rounders who can be X factors

Washington Sundar was purchased for ₹8.75 crore. Pic: Getty Images

All-rounders are always in great demand in the IPL and SRH have managed to purchase two multi-talented cricketers who can make a big difference to the team’s fortunes.

In Washington Sundar, they have an off-spinner who can open the innings in the powerplay and stifle the opposition. The 22-year-old has an excellent economy rate of 6.93 after 42 IPL games, in which he has claimed 27 wickets. Sundar is also a handy batter who can chip in with crucial runs lower down the order.

Apart from Sundar, SRH have also gone for talented West Indian cricketer Romario Shepherd. The 27-year-old Guyana-born cricketer is a medium pacer who can also strike the ball a long way with the willow in hand. While Shepherd couldn’t do much with the ball during the T20 series against India, he gave glimpses of his batting talent in the third T20I, striking three clean sixes in his 29.

Shepherd has an impressive T20 record. He has picked up 55 wickets in 47 matches at an average of 22.38. With the bat, he has struck 344 runs at a strike rate of 159.25. The fact that the Hyderabad franchise purchased him for ₹7.7 crore is proof of how highly he is rated. Both Shepherd and Sundar are potential X factors in the SRH squad.

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#2 Adding dangerous batters to their squad

Nicholas Pooran has been in fantastic batting form. Pic: Getty Images

Hyderabad retained only one pure batter ahead of the auction - Williamson. They thus had to strengthen their batting line-up, which has let them down in recent seasons, especially with the likes of David Warner and Jonny Bairstow being released. They did quite well, purchasing some handy batters over the course of the two-day auction in Bengaluru.

Windies wicketkeeper-batter Nicholas Pooran may have had a disastrous IPL 2021 campaign, managing only 85 runs in 12 matches for the Punjab Kings (PBKS). But he has been in excellent form of late in white-ball cricket. In the recently concluded T20I series against India, he was the lone warrior for West Indies, hitting three consecutive half-centuries. SRH would have high hopes from him, which is why they picked him up for ₹10.75 crore.

The Hyderabad franchise also did well to acquire the services of former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter Rahul Tripathi for ₹8.5 crore and South African dasher Aiden Markram for ₹2.6 crore. Tripathi played a key role in Kolkata reaching the final last season, coming up with a few aggressive knocks.

Markram tasted limited success for PBKS in the few games that he played. But he is a destructive white-ball batter and, as witnessed during the T20 World Cup, can be unstoppable on his day.

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#3 An impressive pace attack

South African left-arm pacer Marco Jansen. Pic: Getty Images

Apart from strengthening the batting, SRH also put together a good pace bowling attack. They bought back the duo of left-arm pacer T Natarajan (₹4 crore) and experienced seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar (₹4.2 crore). Both have been instrumental in SRH’s success at different points.

SRH struggled last year as Natarajan missed most of the season due to injury while Bhuvneshwar was not in rhythm. While the left-arm seamer has recovered from injury, Bhuvneshwar also found some form during the T20I series against West Indies.

South African left-arm pacer Marco Jansen (₹4.2 crore) made a stunning Test debut in the home series against India. The 21-year-old stood up against some top-quality batting and was the second-leading wicket-taker in the series, claiming 19 wickets in three matches at an average of 16.47. He will undoubtedly be one bowler to watch out for during the IPL.

SRH also purchased Australian speedster Sean Abbott for ₹2.4 crore at the auction. Primarily a medium pacer who has a knack for picking up wickets at regular intervals, Abbott is a handy striker of the cricket ball as well. The 29-year-old is an experienced T20 player, having claimed 134 wickets in 108 matches at a strike rate of 15.2. He could prove to be a useful pick.