Table of Contents
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) was a completely different side in IPL 2024. They changed their approach and brand of cricket and it was very fruitful for them.
SRH ended up as the runners-up of IPL 2024. They adopted a very aggressive style of play with the bat. Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma were exceptional at the top for SRH. Nitish Kumar Reddy was the find of the season for SRH. Reddy alongside Heinrich Klaasen made a formidable middle order for the franchise.
But despite all this, SRH was overdependent on these four batters to do the scoring. The likes of Abdul Samad, Aiden Markram and Rahul Tripathi failed miserably with the bat in the middle order. They also lacked a good spinner in their bowling attack.
The Sunrisers have addressed these issues in the IPL 2025 mega auction. They brought in the likes of Ishan Kishan, Adam Zampa and Abhinav Manohar in their squad. They lost Bhuvneshwar Kumar and T Natarajan in the auction but got Mohammed Shami and Harshal Patel.
Sunrisers also invested in young domestic players like Simarjeet Singh and Rahul Chahar. SRH last won the IPL back in 2016. They played in the final in 2018 and 2024 but ended up as runners-up. SRH will be eager to take one more step in IPL 2025 and lift the title.
Probable playing XI of SRH for IPL 2025
1. Travis Head
Travis Head is one of the most consistent batters in world cricket in the last 12-18 months. He’s one of the most destructive batters going around and there’s no doubt that he’ll start for SRH. Head scored 567 runs in 15 innings in IPL 2024 at an average of 40.50 and struck at 191.55. He scored 4 fifties and a century.
2. Abhishek Sharma
Abhishek Sharma is another sure-shot starter for the Sunrisers. He complimented Travis Head really well in the last season. Abhishek scored 484 runs in 16 games at an average of 32.26 at a strike rate of 204.2. He scored three fifties. Abhishek can also contribute with the ball as well. He did a great job in Qualifier 2 against Rajasthan.
3. Ishan Kishan
SRH picked Ishan Kishan in the IPL 2025 mega auction. He is also a very aggressive batter who can score big on his day. Kishan at 3 will give SRH a solid top 3 capable of winning games single-handedly. He scored 320 runs in 14 games in IPL 2024 at an average of 22.85 at a strike rate of 148.83.
4. Heinrich Klaasen (wk)
SRH retained Heinrich Klaasen for INR 23 crores ahead of the mega auction. He’s arguably the best spin hitter in T20 cricket at the moment. Klaasen at number 4 lays a foundation for a solid middle order. He scored 479 runs in 15 innings at an average of 39.91 in IPL 2024. His strike rate was 171.04 and he had 4 fifties to his name.
5. Nitish Kumar Reddy
Nitish Kumar Reddy scored 303 runs in 11 innings of IPL 2024 at a strike rate of 142.92. His average was 39.91 with 2 fifties. He played some crucial knocks for the Sunrisers and was the find of the season for them. Reddy also picked up 3 wickets with the ball.
SRH released Abdul Samad and brought in Abhinav Manohar in their squad. Manohar has been in good form in the domestic circuit, especially in the finisher’s role that SRH is looking for. He has a T20 strike rate of 149.11 in 31 innings at an average of 29.17. The 30-year-old batter was in GT till IPL 2024.
7. Pat Cummins (c)
Pat Cummins picked up 18 wickets in 16 games in IPL 2024. He did a great job leading SRH. Cummins is capable with the bat as well and can score some useful runs down the order.
8. Harshal Patel
Harshal Patel won the purple cap in IPL 2024. This was his second purple cap in the IPL. He mainly bowls in the middle and death overs and relies on his variations and lengths. Patel picked up 24 wickets in 14 games at an economy of 9.73 and a strike rate of 12.25.
9. Mohammed Shami
Mohammed Shami missed IPL 2024 due to injury. He’s one of the best pacers in world cricket. Shami can bowl in any phase for SRH and with his experience he forms a strong pace attack with skipper Pat Cummins and Harshal Patel.
10. Adam Zampa
SRH missed a good spinner in IPL 2024 and they’ve brought in Adam Zampa for IPL 2025. Zampa is one of the best wrist spinners in white ball cricket. He is a genuine wicket-taker and will be a key bowler for Hyderabad.
11. Simarjeet Singh
Simarjeet Singh is a highly rated pacer in domestic cricket. He can clock 140-145 km/h. Previously he was a part of the Chennai Super Kings. Simarjeet has 9 wickets in 10 IPL games at an economy of 8.63.
Impact Player
SRH has the option of playing with their impact player. They lack batting depth but have quality batters in their top 6. They can use one of Aniket Verma or Sachin Baby if they need a batter as the impact sub.
If they need a bowler as the impact sub then they have the option of Jaydev Unadkat, Rahul Chahar or Zeeshan Ansari.
