Sunrisers Hyderabad looks set to shine bright in IPL season 9; Probable XI against RCB

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Indian Premier League season 9 is already underway with three matches being played till now among the six franchises. On Tuesday evening, the remaining two teams of the league, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will face the strong Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in their first game of the tournament. Playing their fourth season, Sunrisers will look to break the jinx this year and will try to make it to the playoffs stage again in this season. However, in their first season in the cash-rich league, SRH reached the playoffs but lost the eliminator against Rajasthan Royals at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi.

In the IPL Players auction this year, Sunrisers Hyderabad made some really smart decisions as they included Ashish Nehra, Yuvraj Singh, Mustafizur Rahman in their squad. On paper, SRH looks like a balanced side this year as their strong batting is being ably supported by some well-known bowlers who look to change the result for the team this year.

After having an ordinary ICC World T20, all eyes will be on Sunrisers skipper David Warner to regain some form and lead his team to the playoffs in IPL season 9. In spite of getting knocked out in the round-robin stage of the tournament last year, Warner won the Orange Cap as he scored 562 runs at an impressive average of 43.23 with an astonishing strike rate of 157. He scored seven half-centuries last season with a top score of 91.

Hyderabad’s batting looks heavy this season as they have Warner and Dhawan at the top followed by Kane Williamson, Yuvraj Singh and Eoin Morgan who all are proven campaigners in this format of the game. In the bowling department, Sunrisers probably have the best fast-bowling attack of the tournament as they have a good combination of experience and youth in their side. Old warhorse Ashish Nehra will be expected to spearhead SRH’s bowling attack and guide them forward in the tournament. The presence of Bangladesh’s young bowling sensation Mustafizur Rahman, NZ’s Trent Boult, and India’s Bhuvaneshwar Kumar will add more zing to their bowling unit.

Strengths

Sunrisers Hyderabad major strength lies in their batting line-up which has some well-known players like skipper David Warner, Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson, Yuvraj Singh, and Eoin Morgan. However, due to a nagging ankle injury, big shot Yuvraj Singh is out of the action for two weeks. The bowling strength relies heavily on their fast bowling resources which have names like Trent Boult, Ashish Nehra, and Mustafizur Rahman who can rattle any batting line-up with their speed and swing.

Weakness

SRH looks like a top side on paper but the lack of quality spinners and genuine all-rounders in their squad is a major point of concern for the team. With IPL being played in Indian conditions, the role of a good spinner is the side becomes extremely critical for any team to go ahead in the tournament. Though in the form of Parvez Rasool and Karn Sharma, they have decent spinners but their lack of international experience to perform under pressure on the big stage can hamper Sunrisers Hyderabad chances going further.

Sunrisers Hyderabad Probable Playing XI against Royal Challenger Bangalore

David Warner (C), Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson, Deepak Hooda, Eoin Morgan, Naman Ojha, Aditya Tare, Karn Sharma, Ashish Nehra, Mustafizur Rahman, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar.

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