Sunrisers Hyderabad. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI)

A much-changed Sunrisers Hyderabad start their Indian Premier League 2023 (IPL) on April 2 as they face the last season’s runner-up Rajasthan Royals in their opening game at home. Hyderabad finished the last season in the eighth position with just six wins from 14 group-stage matches. And that forced the franchise to make big changes ahead of the 16th edition of the tournament.

First, Biran Lara was promoted from batting coach to head coach role, replacing Tom Moody, and then South African star Aiden Markram was appointed as a new captain to lead the team in IPL 2023. Sunrisers Hyderabad didn’t retain former captain Kane Williamson and also released the likes of Nicholas Pooran, Romario Shepherd, and nine more players. 

SRH entered the IPL 2023 player auction with the biggest purse of INR 42.25 crore and spend wisely to recruit quality additions. They spent INR 13.25 crore to sign English sensation Harry Brook and INR 8.25 crore for the experienced Indian top-order batter Mayank Agarwal.

Sunrisers Hyderabad signed 13 new players and now have a balanced squad with quality backup options for IPL 2023. Still, there are one or two challenges the franchise need to overcome during the upcoming season. So, let’s have a SWOT analysis on Sunrisers Hyderabad ahead of IPL 2023.

Here is Rajasthan Royals’ full squad for IPL 2023:

Abdul Samad, Umran Malik, Washington Sundar, Rahul Tripathi, Abhishek Sharma, Kartik Tyagi, T Natarajan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Aiden Markram (c), Marco Jansen, Glenn Phillips (wk), Fazalhaq Farooqi, Harry Brook, Mayank Agarwal, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Adil Rashid, Mayank Markande, Vivrant Sharma, Samarth Vyas, Sanvir Singh, Upendra Singh Yadav (wk), Mayank Dagar, Nitish Kumar Reddy (wk), Akeal Hosein, Anmolpreet Singh

Sunrisers Hyderabad Prefered XI: Abhishek Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram (c), Harry Brook, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Washington Sundar, Marco Jansen, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Umran Malik 

The SWOT analysis of the Sunrisers Hyderabad squad for IPL 2023:

Strengths: Indian pace attack boosted with Marco Jansen

Sunrisers Hyderabad trust their last season’s pace attack of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Umran Malik, and Marco Jansen to form the four-men pace attack this season. All three Indian pacers were impressive last season with combined 52 wickets.

Umran topped the chart with 22 wickets while Natarajan bagged 18 from just 11 innings. But both struggled to control their economy rate which was above 9. That’s where Bhuvneshar came in with 12 wickets at an economy rate of 7.34. It will be up to new management to use three Indian pacers wisely and timely to get results.

Jansen will be playing a pace all-rounder role and is likely to boost the Indian pace trio. The South African took just seven wickets from eight innings in IPL 2022 and was not able to earn a regular place in the team. But he has gone through a big transformation since then and might be utilized properly this season.

Young pacers Kartik Tyagi and Fazalhaq Farooqi provide a quality backup to make SRH’s pace attack their biggest strength for IPL 2023. Kartik was limited to just two games last season while the Afghan pacer featured in three matches but both have the potential to make a big difference if given chance.

Weaknesses: Five new spinners but to warm the bench only

Sunrisers Hyderabad shocked the fans by releasing Rashid Khan ahead of the 2022 edition and showed no interest in re-signing the Afghan spin ace in the mega-auction. That proved a big mistake as the Sunrisers’ spin woes were on display last season. Washington Sundar struggled with match fitness and bowled in just eight games while Jagadeesha Suchith, Shreyas Gopal, Aiden Markram, and Abhishek Sharma managed to get just nine wickets (combined).

SRH have considerably strengthened their spin attack for the IPL 2023 with three quality spinners and two backup options. Adil Rashid and Akeal Hosein joined for a combined fee of INR 3 crore while the franchise spent INR 1.8 crore to sign Mayank Dagar, an uncapped Delhi-born left-arm spinner. They also roped in leg spinner Mayank Markande and Vivrant Sharma to further boost their spin options.

But there is only one spot open to partner Washinton Sundar and the franchise is expected to play a four-man pace attack with Marco Jansen getting a nod ahead of Rashid and Hosein. Markram displayed his spin bowling skills in the SA20 2023 with 11 wickets at an economy rate of 6.19 and is likely to be more effective on Indian pitches. He and Sundar, alongside Abhishek Sharma, are likely to share spin duties for SRH, keeping all five new spinners on the sidelines for the majority of the season. 

Opportunity: Harry Brook and Glenn Phillips to make big

Sunrisers Hyderabad’s batting order is looking all set with Mayank and Abhishek opening, Rahul Tripathi and Aiden Markram coming next, and Harry Brook and Glenn Phillips giving the finishing touch. Abhishek emerged as the leading run-scorer for SRH Last season with 426 runs and Tripathi added 413 runs. Markram was decent with 381 runs in IPL 2022 but enters the upcoming season after winning the Player of the Tournament at SA20 2023.

But the fans’ focus will be on big hitters Harry Brook and Glenn Phillips. The English youngster comes with a hefty price tag but his performances were further impressive after the IPL 2023 auction. Brook has established himself as one of the rising stars across formats and will be making his IPL debut with the burden of fans’ expectations. He is likely to play in the no.5 position but might be promoted according to conditions.

Glenn Phillips and Heinrich Klaasen fight for the wicketkeeping spot and are unlikely to feature together with Markram, Jansen, and Brook occupying overseas slots. However, Kaasen will be missing the first game against Rajasthan Royals due to national team duties, which will allow Glenn to make a big impact to cement his position. 

Threats: Glenn Phillips to keep Heinrich Klaasen out will it be the other way around

The Kiwi batter might be utilized as an impact player if the management prefers Klaasen with gloves. Klaasen cost the franchise INR 5.25 crore and is enjoying great form in white-ball cricket. He was the leading run-scorer for Durban Super Giants in the SA20 2023 where he smashed a century in the last game. Klaasen is technically a better wicketkeeper than Glenn but the latter has developed as an x-factor in the shortest format.  

Glenn struggled for the runs in his last three T20Is during the recent New Zealand tour of India but was exceptional in domestic red-ball cricket with a century and two fifties. Klaasen’s unavailability for the first game offers a great chance for Glenn to steal the spot but it will be foolish of the management to bench Klaasen after spending big bucks.