The Sunrisers Hyderabad have not been able to work as a consistent force in the IPL for quite some time. Post the mega auction, they managed to assemble a decent team but their bowling, which was known for its consistency, lost its touch.
With the addition of numerous batting stars, it looked like the Sunrisers would manage to get into the playoffs in the 2023 season. But, things turned out to be different as for most of the season, their batters failed to fire on all cylinders.
Come the 2024 season, the team management will be hoping that the players manage to bring out their best. A team that has a great mixture of youth and experience, SRH has the potential of being an unstoppable force. However, there will be a bunch of players who will have to bid adieu to the franchise to fix the shortcomings in the current setup.
Here are the top three players that SRH might release ahead of the 2024 season:
3. Akeal Hosein
Akeal Hosein (Photo Source: Twitter)
Akeal Hosein came into the international cricket frame in 2021. The talented bowler was a part of the Champions League as a bowler with the Barbados Tridents. Adding on, the spinner was drafted into the Sunrisers squad in the 2023 season.
In 121 games, Hosein has picked 99 wickets with an impressive economy rate of 6.74 runs per over. Speaking of his T20I career, he has played 39 matches and picked 31 wickets with a best of 4/30. An economy rate of 7.22 runs per over shows that Hosein has been on point when it comes to handling the pressure of a T20 game.
He has been a decent contributor with the bat as well as he has the highest score of 44 and can swing the bat in the lower order when required. But, SRH has not been able to utilise him properly and it seems like they will release the all-rounder to make some space in their team.
2. Harry Brook
Harry Brook. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)
Harry Brook is one of the most interesting batters with a staggering Test average of 62.15 runs. The Englishman can defend, attack, and anchor the innings with ease. Thanks to his T20 stats, he was drafted into the Sunrisers squad for a whopping INR 13.25 crore in the last edition.
Brook had a great start to the season as he managed to score a century. However, things turned haywire as by the end of the season as he only managed to score 190 runs by the end of the season. In the rest 10 innings, Brook managed just 90 runs to his name. A strike rate of 123.38 also did not justify the huge amount spent by the franchise on the youngster.
Brook has a brilliant T20 record, scoring 2982 runs at 33.50 and a sensational strike rate of 149.62. However, it looks like it is time for Brook to look for another franchise that is in desperate need of a formidable batsman. There is no doubt on his potential, it is just the management that is affecting Brook in the IPL.
Also see: 3 players CSK might release ahead of IPL 2024
1. Abdul Samad
Abdul Samad. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)
Abdul Samad is the big-hitting batter that SRH was looking for in place of Yusuf Pathan. In the 2020 auction, he was signed for INR 20 lakhs. He managed to become a great asset for the team in initial seasons as he managed to score runs at a brisk pace for the side.
In his debut season, Samad scored at an impressive strike rate of 170.76 and was smashed even seasoned bowlers late in the innings. But the things were not the same for the batter in 2023. Even though he had a great average of 42.25, a run-tally of 169 runs in nine innings failed to justify his place in the XI.
Samad needs another franchise that will help him to grow. He needs the backing that captains like MS Dhoni give and he might just flourish in those environments. However, it looks like they might release Samad ahead of the IPL auction.