Former India player turned Aakash Chopra has picked the SunRisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) lower-middle-order batting as their potential weakness heading into IPL 2025 as well. He added that two relatively inexperienced Indian players might have to bat at No. 6 and No. 7 this season. However, SRH finished as the runners-up in IPL 2024 as well. Apart from captain Pat Cummins (₹18 crore), they retained Heinrich Klaasen (₹23 crore), Abhishek Sharma (₹14 crore), Travis Head (₹14 crore) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (₹6 crore), their top-order batters, before the auction as well.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel ‘Aakash Chopra’, he said, “If you get past the top five, somehow you dismiss the top five below 125 to 150 runs or so, then they can find themselves in a spot of bother. I am saying that because either Abhinav Manohar will play at No.6 or you have the options of Aniket Verma and Sachin Baby. Although Pat Cummins can come to bat, but even if Pat Cummins bats at No. 7, it’s one number higher than where he should be. So they need two batters at Nos. 6 and 7, and both will be Indians. They are difficult spots to bat. If you keep your most inexperienced players there, it could be a slight problem. This is a potential weakness.”

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However, Aakash Chopra added that the uncertainty around PatvCummins’ availability could be another challenge for the SunRisers
Hyderabad in IPL 2025 as well.

“What’s the scene with Pat Cummins’ injury? He missed the Champions Trophy just now. Will he be available for the entire season? If he isn’t available, there could be a slight leadership void. Who will you suddenly make the captain?” he concluded. “There is no big Indian name here. I think Heinrich Klaasen has captaincy aspirations, so you could make him the captain, but you will miss Pat Cummins, is what I am thinking.”