Vivrant Sharma, Glenn Philips and Harry Brooks. (Photo Source: Twitter)
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will look to start their journey with a victory in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on April 2 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad. In the last two seasons, their performance had been underwhelming in the league.
After releasing David Warner, the franchise trusted New Zealand’s Kane Williamson’s leadership abilities, appointing him the captain of the side in the 2022 edition. However, the changes didn’t bring positive results for SRH as they again failed to reach the knockout round, winning only six matches out of 14. SRH then released Williamson as well and this year, South African player Aiden Markram will hold the reins of the franchise. Under the dashing Protea, Sunrisers will look to give their best and add another trophy to their cabinet.
At the 2023 IPL players’ auction, SRH reserved the services of Mayank Agarwal, Heinrich Klaasen and Adil Rashid for the upcoming season, who would now be looking to live up to the franchise’s expectations. Alongside these colossal figures, eyes will be set on some recent performers as well. Going by the numbers of these players in their recent outings, Sunrisers will expect them to rise up and outperform their opponents.
Here are three SRH players to watch out for in the upcoming IPL edition:
3. Vivrant Sharma
Vivrant Sharma. (Photo Source: Twitter)
At the 2023 mini-auction, SRH showed faith in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) batter Vivrant Sharma and signed him for INR 2.6 crore. The 23-year-old will now look to justify his amount in the forthcoming tournament. Playing with quality batters such as Mayank Agarwal, Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klaasen, he will look to make a mark for himself in the tournament with his batting skills.
His recent batting figures will work as a confidence booster for him to deliver his best for SRH. The left-handed batter shone in the domestic season with some decent knocks in the 2022-23 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT). Playing for Jammu & Kashmir, he scored 128 runs with two half-centuries in four innings at a fine strike rate of 145.45.
After the SMAT, he proved his mettle in the ODI tournament Vijay Hazare trophy as well. With 395 runs in eight games, the youngster became the second-highest run-getter for his team in the competition. He also smashed a ton and two half-centuries en route J&K’s journey to the quarter-finals.
2. Glenn Phillips
Glenn Phillips. (Photo Source: Twitter)
Glenn Phillips’ role will be crucial for SRH as he will strengthen the team’s batting line-up in the top order. His superb T20I batting record for New Zealand indicates that he is an ideal batter in the shortest format of the sport. So far, he has represented the Black Caps in 59 T20Is and has piled up 1,385 runs with two tons and eight half-centuries at a remarkable strike rate of 144.72.
However, his best in the cash-rich IPL is yet to come as he has scored only 26 runs in one innings for SRH. Before the 2023 mini-auction, he was one of the few names who got retained by Sunrisers for the 2023 edition. Emboldened by his franchise’s support, he will now look to play impactful knocks for them and quench their thirst for winning the trophy for the first time in seven years.
In the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup which was the last major multilateral competition he played, Phillips accumulated 201 runs for his team in five contests at a breathtaking strike rate of 158.26, also scoring a century and a fifty in the process. The right-hander will also get the support of adept batters like Mayank Agarwal, skipper Aiden Markram, and Harry Brook to reinforce the SRH batting unit.
1. Harry Brook
Harry Brook. (Photo Source: Twitter)
Currently, Harry Brook is in exceptional form as he has played a number of powerful knocks for England in the last few months. Noticing Brook’s record for his national team, SRH invested INR 13.25 crore at the 2023 IPL auction to get his services for the forthcoming T20 extravaganza.
After getting acquired at this hefty price, Brooks would be keen to prove his franchise’s decision correct. His recent performances show that he is among the runs, and now, taking his form ahead in the 2023 IPL, he will strive to make SRH a potent force with his incredible batting capability.
The 22-year-old played a huge role in his team’s amazing Test series triumph in Pakistan. He hit 468 runs in five innings of three games and helped his team whitewash the hosts by a 3-0 margin. Earlier, the young batter dominated Babar Azam and Co. and contributed to his team’ victory in the seven-match T20I series by a 4-3 margin.
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