Formidable Sunrisers Hyderabad eye glory in IPL 2025: Squad analysis
What's the story
The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will be a mix of experienced players and exciting new faces as they prepare for the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
Led by captain Pat Cummins and head coach Daniel Vettori, the Orange Army will look to regain their title after almost a decade.
The team created history by crossing the 250-run mark thrice last season.
However, despite these amazing feats, SRH lost in the finals to Kolkata Knight Riders.
Team strategy
Key players retained, new talent added
The 2025 season for SRH starts against Rajasthan Royals at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, SRH's home ground.
The team had retained important players like Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and skipper Cummins.
Apart from these experienced players, SRH also bought Ishan Kishan at the mega auction.
This strategic move complements their successful aggressive playing style from last year.
Bowling
Bowling lineup bolstered despite Kumar's release
Despite releasing Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, SRH have a strong bowling lineup spearheaded by Cummins and new acquisition Mohammed Shami.
Shami made a comeback to international cricket earlier this year after an injury layoff.
Apart from Cummins and Shami, other key bowlers are Jaydev Unadkat, Harshal Patel, Rahul Chahar, and Adam Zampa.
This diverse group of bowlers will play a crucial role in SRH's strategy for the upcoming season.
Concerns
Concerns over local talent depth and player fitness
While SRH have an impressive lineup of batsmen, the depth of local talent and player fitness still remains a concern.
The likes of Aniket Verma, Abhinav Manohar, and Sachin Baby don't have much IPL experience.
With Cummins, Head, and Klaasen likely to take up spots in the playing XI, Kamindu Mendis could be roped in as the fourth overseas player.
Shami and Cummins's fitness levels are also under the scanner ahead of IPL 2025.
Key players
SRH's batting prowess: Abhishek Sharma-Travis Head partnership
One of the biggest strengths for SRH in IPL 2025 will be their explosive opening pair of Abhishek and Head.
Their combined run rate was an incredible 13.46 last year. This is the highest for any partnership with at least 350 T20 runs, as per ESPNcricinfo.
In IPL 2024 alone, they scored an astonishing 691 runs at an average of 49.35.
Squad
A look at SRH's squad for IPL 2025
SRH's squad for IPL 2025: Pat Cummins (c), Heinrich Klaasen, Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Reddy, Ishan Kishan, Mohammed Shami, Harshal Patel, Abhinav Manohar, Rahul Chahar, Adam Zampa, Simarjeet Singh, Eshan Malinga, Jaydev Unadkat, Wiaan Mulder, Kamindu Mendis, Zeeshan Ansari, Atharva Taide, Sachin Baby, Aniket Verma.
Information
SRH's projected playing XI for IPL 2025
SRH's best XI for IPL 2025: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (wk), Nitish Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Abhinav Manohar, Kamindu Mendis, Pat Cummins (c), Harshal Patel, Mohammed Shami, and Rahul Chahar.