The Deccan Kings have had two phenomenal seasons in the last two years. This year, they did lose out on their core players due to the revamping IPL 2018 Auction but the management did a good job and have gotten good replacements for the missing stars. Just on the last week, they received a jolt in form of David Warner. Alex Hales comes as a replacement but will he be able to fill the void left by David Warner or not remains to be seen.
Sunrisers Hyderabad Full Squad for IPL 2018:
Full Squad:
Alex Hales, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Manish Pandey, Rashid Khan, Shikhar Dhawan, Wriddhiman Saha, Siddarth Kaul, Deepak Hooda, Syed Khaleel Ahmed, Sandeep Sharma, Kane Williamson(C), Carlos Brathwaite, Shakib Al Hasan, Yusuf Pathan, Shreevats Goswami, Mohammad Nabi, Chris Jordan, Basil Thampi, T Natarajan, Sachin Baby, Bipul Sharma, Syed Mehdi Hasan, Ricky Bhui, Tanmay Agarwal
Also Read: IPL 2018 Preview: Sunrisers Hyderabad – The Deccan King
Indian contingent:
In Shikhar Dhawan and Manish Pandey, Hyderabad has two very strong Indian batsmen around whom the batting will revolve. Shikhar Dhawan has been in a stunning form for India in the last two series and SRH will be very happy to see Dhawan continue on his merry way.
The bowling will be spear-headed by Bhuvneshwar Kumar who has been India’s premier bowler in all three formats for the past few months. He will shoulder the responsibility alongside Siddharth Kaul. Bipul Sharma will play if SRH needs an Indian spinner.
Wriddhiman Saha and Deepak Hooda have well-defined roles this time. Yusuf Pathan, Basil Thampi, and T Natarajan will be the backup players which shall be used as needed.
Also Read: IPL 2018: Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium – Hyderabad’s Fort
Foreign contingent:
The biggest loss for the Sunrisers, of course, is the loss of David Warner. Alex Hales is a good replacement and the opener will be eager to establish himself in the white-ball cricket after taking a leave from England’s first-class fixture.
Kane Williamson will be the captain and a mainstay in the batting. One of Shakib Al Hasan, Carlos Brathwaite and Mohammad Nabi will get to play, the decision will rely on the playing conditions.
The number one bowler in T20I cricket, Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan will lead the spin bowling for SRH. Whether he will be successful this year after the exposure he had in the last year will be interesting. Chris Jordan will come in handy on pitches prepared to suit the fast bowlers.
Also Read: IPL 2018: Missing Gems From The Arsenal Of Sunrisers Hyderabad
Player availability:
As announced earlier, Alex Hales has replaced David Warner. All other players are fit and available for the selection.
Probable XI:
Alex Hales $
Shikhar Dhawan
Wriddhiman Saha
Kane Williamson $
Manish Pandey
Shakib Al Hasan/Carlos Brathwaite $
Deepak Hooda
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Rashid Khan $
Siddharth Kaul/ Khaleel Ahmed
Basil Thampi
$ – Foreign Players
Variations:
Alex Hales, Rashid Khan and Kane Williamson will most probably play in every game. That leaves us with one foreign player spot. Brathwaite, Mohammad Nabi and Shakib will fight it out between themselves. They may well alternate between Shakib and Brathwaite, depending upon pitch condition. Two out of Kaul, Khaleel and Thampi will play. Yusuf Pathan will be the backup for Deepak Hooda.