IPL 2021: Strongest Predicted Playing XI for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)

The bowling contingent, the focus as we look at the predicted playing 11 of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for IPL 2021.

One of the most consistent teams in the IPL history, Sunrisers Hyderabad a.k.a. Orange Army would be entering their 9th year after being established in 2013. SRH won their maiden trophy in 2016, and since then, they managed to make the play-offs in all the seasons; a record only they hold. 

A new decade and a new year 2021 would give them a new hope of repeating their 2016 performance where David Warner led SRH successfully managed to defeat the star-studded RCB team in a high-scoring finale. They still have David Warner as their captain, and some of their key players are still with them. 

Sunrisers Hyderabad were the team to have retained the maximum number of players before the IPL 2021 Auction. They retained 22 players, and bought 3 more in the Auction in the form of Kedar Jadhav, J Suchith, and Mujeeb Zadran to make it a squad of 25. They have a well-balanced squad overall, and that should make it for an interesting contest in IPL 2021.

So, looking at the overall squad, who makes it to the strongest playing 11 for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for IPL 2021? Let’s find out in this article. Before that, let’s quickly slim through their squad. Please note, the strongest playing is selected basis the best possible combination possible without taking availability and injuries into consideration. 

Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Squad for IPL 2021: 

Batsmen:  David Warner (C), Jonny Bairstow (WK), Kane Williamson, Kedar Jadhav, Manish Pandey, Priyam Garg, Sreevats Goswami (WK), Virat Singh & Wriddhiman Saha (WK)

All-rounders: Abdul Samad, Abhishek Sharma, Jason Holder, Mitchell Marsh, Mohammad Nabi & Vijay Shankar

Bowlers: Basil Thampi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jagadeesha Suchith, Khaleel Ahmed, Mujeeb Zadran, Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Shahbaz Nadeem, Siddharth Kaul & T Natarajan

The Solid Core 

The solid core of Sunrisers Hyderabad revolves around a few key players. It starts with their captain, David Warner at the top. It follows with Kane Williamson and Manish Pandey in the middle-order. Then moves to Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and T Natarajan in the bowling department. These are the players SRH would rely heavily upon for a successful campaign in IPL 2021. 

Strongest Predicted Playing XI for SRH for IPL 2021: 

The strongest playing 11 for SRH should see David Warner open with Wriddhiman Saha, who did fairly well for SRH in IPL 2020 in the limited opportunities he got. In this scenario, Jonny Bairstow would sit out, and Kane Williamson will continue to play an important anchor role at 3.

Following Kane Williamson should be Manish Pandey, who had been an integral member of this squad. However, given SRH’s lower-order woes in IPL 2020, the ideal batting for Manish Pandey is 5. SRH’s new recruit, Kedar Jadhav can be extremely valuable at number 5 if he maintains his Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021 form. He can provide much-needed stability in the lower-order.

Following Kedar should be a hard-hitter in the form of Abdul Samad. Samad’s hitting abilities were quite visible in IPL 2020 where he played a few attacking knocks down the order. He has also been good playing for J&K in the domestic circuit. Meanwhile, Jason Holder, who was extremely impressive in IPL, 2020 would be a great option once again at number 7. 

The bowling department should see Rashid khan leading the spin duties and Bhuvneshwar Kumar and T Natarajan leading the pace duties for them. Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s return to form after injuries and T Natarajan’s rise in the last 1 year would benefit SRH a lot. They would once again be the force in the bowling dominant. 

Meanwhile, the final spot can be decided based on the pitch. While Sandeep Sharma will play if the pitch assists pace, Shahbaz Nadeem or Abhishek Sharma can be played if the pitch assists spin. The team also has good backups in the form of Siddharth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed, and Basil Thampi, who can be played if Sandeep is struggling for form or is injured. 

Strongest Predicted Playing 11 for SRH for IPL 2021:

David Warner (C), Wriddhiman Saha (WK), Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey,  Kedar Jadhav, Abdul Samad, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma & T Natarajan. 

Option 1: Jonny Bairstow for Jason Holder

If you look at SRH’s line-up, you would see the team has 3 candidates that make their batting vulnerable. The ones include Wriddhiman Saha, Kedar Jadhav, and Abdul Samad. If these are unable to perform as per expectations, then SRH would have to strengthen their batting by adding Jonny Bairstow to it.

In such a scenario, Jason Holder would sit out, and two of Vijay Shankar, Abdul Samad or Abhishek Sharma would make it to the final XI. Abdul Samad is a bowler who can give you give 1-2 overs in a match. Whereas, the remaining overs shall be completed by Vijay Shankar or Abhishek Sharma. 

David Warner (C), Jonny Bairstow (WK), Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Abdul Samad, Abhishek Sharma / Vijay Shankar, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma & T Natarajan. 

Option 2: A team for Spin Paradise 

With the addition of Mujeeb Zadran to the already present Afghan stars, Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi, SRH have a potent spin attack to look at. If SRH face such pitches which they will, they can look to play either Mohammad Nabi or Mujeeb Zadran in the playing XI. 

David Warner (C), Wriddhiman Saha (WK), Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Abdul Samad, Mohd. Nabi / Mujeeb Zadran, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shahbaz Nadeem & T Natarajan. 

So, that completes the strongest playing 11 combinations for Sunrisers Hyderabad for IPL 2021. The team has a good balance overall in the batting department, but it is their bowling that would once again be under the limelight. If SRH get a good contribution from their vulnerable few then they would be the team to beat. 

Thanks for reading! What’s your predicted playing 11 for SRH for IPL 2021? Please email your thoughts to business@cricalytics.com

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