Sunrisers Hyderabad has formed a new team to retrace their path to IPL glory.

As the Indian Premier League caravan approaches the start of the 2023 edition, the Orange Army has also ramped up preparations for the showdown.

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The 2016 champions will return to reclaim their title in their 11th consecutive season in India’s top flight. ‘Parimatch News’ presents a comprehensive squad analysis of the defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad for IPL 16.

The Telangana-based franchise has once again received praise for its astute approach at the auction, as has been the case throughout the season. Their ultimate quest for IPL glory will begin on April 2nd, when they face the inaugural IPL champions, Rajasthan Royals.

However, the familiar face of Tom Moody will not be on the coaching staff, as his second stint with the Sunrisers lasted only two seasons. Moody has been replaced by the legendary Brian Lara, who was promoted after serving as a batting coach for the team the previous season.

In the high-profile coaching unit, the 53-year-old Trinidadian preceptor will be joined by Simon Helmot, Muttiah Muralitharan, Dale Steyn, Ryan Cook, and Hemang Badani.

A look at last season’s performance

The Orange Army had a disastrous campaign in the previous edition, failing to make the playoffs stages for consecutive seasons. The last time SRH made the playoffs was in 2020, when the franchise was led by David Warner, but things have only gotten worse since then.

The Sunrisers, who were once considered favourites before every season because of their incredible consistency, are now struggling to put up a strong title challenge. After winning five of the first seven league games, Hyderabad kicked off the 2022 season with a bang and surged into the Top 2.

At this point, SRH only needed three wins in the remaining seven matches to qualify, but what happened next was something that every Orange Army member would prefer to forget. They lost five straight games and only managed a single victory in the second half of the season, finishing in eighth place with 12 points.

New signings ahead of the 2023 IPL season

The Orange Army’s biggest signing in the 2023 Auctions is English sensation Harry Brook, who will play the most important role in their gameplan. Hyderabad paid a whopping Rs. 13.25 crores for the 24-year-old batter’s services, making him the bidding war’s fifth most expensive player. The Yorkshire assailant was a member of the England squad that won the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup and has also won the PSL with Lahore Qalandars.

Former Punjab Kings captain Mayank Agarwal will also march under the SRH banner for the first time. In his 12-year IPL career, the 32-year-old has been a part of many productive rosters but has yet to win his first trophy. Heinrich Klaasen is also making his return to the biggest stage of T20 after a three-year absence and is expected to be their first-choice wicketkeeper.

Adil Rashid will lead the Sunrisers’ spin attack and has a great chance to make his mark on the IPL stage. The Orange Army has high hopes for the English spin-wizard, just as they did for his namesake leg-spinner a few years ago. Meanwhile, Akeal Hosain, Mayank Markande, and Mayank Dagar will be joining him in the newly formed spin department.

Predicted Starting XI

Mayank Agarwal, Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram ©, Harry Brook, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Washington Sundar, Adil Rashid, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Umran Malik

Strengths

Quality pace attack: The Sunrisers have the most lethal domestic fast-bowling unit in the league, led by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Umran Malik, and Kartik Singh.

SRH’s Indian pace battery is so strong that foreign options Marco Jansen and Fazalhaq Farooqi are not even considered for the playing XI. The trio of Bhuvi-Natarajan-Umran was on fire for the Orangers the previous season, accounting for 64% of the team’s total wickets, a total of 52.

Multiple quality all-rounders are present: With their disciplined bowling style and explosive batting abilities, the all-round duo of Abhishek Sharma and Washington Sundar provide immense strength to the team-combination. Their ability to bat at any position allows skipper Markram to float the batting order depending on the game situation.

Weaknesses

Thin batting department: The Telangana-based franchise’s batting unit lacks on-paper strength and the presence of high-profile names appropriate for the franchise’s legacy. The lack of several quality options to replace starters from the substitute bench is obvious and may cost them dearly in the future.

Curse of the overseas skipper: Hyderabad has also bet big on newly appointed skipper Aiden Markram, who has yet to prove his captaincy on the international stage. Many foreign captains have already failed to deliver in India’s top-tier T20 league after failing to identify the strengths and weaknesses of domestic players.

Untested spin-bowling unit: SRH has rebooted their spin department after they contributed only 15 wickets in the entire 2022 season. However, the newly assembled unit does not appear to be any stronger and may face difficulties if any of the first-choice options suffer an injury crisis midway through the season.

Season Prediction

The Sunrisers Hyderabad roster is pumped, and the Orange Army is hoping that the Sun will rise again in the City of Nizams after a three-year hiatus.

Their ultimate goal for the upcoming season will be to replicate the success of Sunrisers Eastern Cape by setting a winning tempo and avoiding bottling in the final stages, as they have in the past. This SRH unit has the potential to make a remarkable comeback and become the dark horse once more.

Also Read: Who is the Godfather or Baap of IPL And Why?

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