IPL preview: Sunrisers Hyderabad

The Sunrisers Hyderabad replaced the erstwhile Deccan Chargers in 2013 and have had a mixed start to their time in the Indian Premier League. After making the playoffs in their opening season, they were edged out to the sixth position on the points table last year, losing out on a chance to make the Champions League T20.

In just three short years, the Sunrisers have churned through an amazing number of captains. Kumar Sangakkara was given the role in the first season, but he shared it with new Melbourne Renegades recruit Cameron White, and there were also times when Shikhar Dhawan took over in their opening season.

The management had Dhawan take on the captaincy on a full-time basis in 2014, but a string of poor results meant Darren Sammy chipped in for four games as well. Sangakkara, White and Sammy are not with the franchise for 2015 and while Dhawan will be a key player at the top of the order, the leadership has been given to Australian opener David Warner, their fifth captain in three seasons.

Warner will form an all Aussie captain-coach duo with two-time World Cup winner Tom Moody, and their working relationship could be a major factor in the team's success this season.

The decision to make Warner captain also allows Dhawan to focus on his batting, and given his excellent form in the 2015 World Cup, that is good news for the Sunrisers fans.

Strengths
The overseas depth in the squad is something to watch out for. While they cannot play more than four foreign players at a time, any loss of form, fitness or late withdrawals can be easily accounted for because of the nature of players they have brought in.

The middle-order includes Kane Williamson, Ravi Bopara, Eoin Morgan and Sydney Sixers skipper Moises Henriques while the bowling is in the capable hands of Dale Steyn and Trent Boult. And they could still have Kevin Pietersen at their disposal if they make the playoffs, as per the conditions of the release he sought to return to English county cricket in a bid to revive his international career.

Weaknesses
The lack of big-ticket Indian batsmen in the side is startling. Apart from Dhawan and Naman Ojha, who has played in an ODI and two T20Is in his career, their local batting talent tapers off drastically. KL Rahul is an excellent first-class cricketer who is yet to establish his credentials as a T20 player and beyond that there aren’t too many of note. 

It indicates that Hyderabad might have to utilise the services of all their overseas batsmen in the middle order, names like Williamson, Bopara, Morgan and Henriques, and leave the bowling in the hands of the local products. It's a strategy that might work, but it does leave the team a little imbalanced.

Predicted Finish
They will find it tough to finish in the top four.

Squad
David Warner, Ashish Reddy, Shikhar Dhawan, Chama Milind, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Dale Steyn, KL Rahul, Karn Sharma, Naman Ojha, Moises Henriques, Ricky Bhui, Parveez Rasool, Kevin Pietersen (playoffs only), Kane Williamson, Eoin Morgan, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Ravi Bopara, Trent Boult, Praveen Kumar, Prasanth Padmanabhan, Hanuma Vihari, Siddarth Kaul

Coach: Tom Moody
Manager: Sankapani
Assistant coach: Simon Helmot
Bowling coach: Muttiah Muralitharan
Mentors: Krishnamachari Srikkanth and VVS Laxman
Physio: Theo Kapakoulakis

IPL Season Previews

• Chennai Super Kings
• Delhi Daredevils
• Kings Xi Punjab
• Kolkata Knight Riders
• Mumbai Indians
• Rajasthan Royals
• Royal Challengers Bangalore
• Sunrisers Hyderabad