Sunrisers Hyderabad replaced the Deccan Chargers in the 2013 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and have established themselves as one of the most consistent sides in the lucrative league.
Currently led by New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson, the team won the 2016 edition of the IPL under the leadership of David Warner, who scored a staggering 848 runs in that season, bettered only by Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Virat Kohli.
Sunrisers Hyderabad is mostly reliant on Warner to score most of the runs and middle-order that rarely performs doesn’t hold great odds at winning all matches they play.
Despite their consistent performances of SRH, it hasn’t quite got the recognition they deserve for their roles in the franchise’s rise to a top-of-the-table team.
Some of the most underrated players in SRH are as follows:
- Mohammed Nabi – He had played eight matches for Sunrisers Hyderabad in last season’s IPL. The off-spinner picked up 8 wickets in those matches, at a decent average of 24.25 along with an exceptional economy rate of 6.65. Although he did not get too many chances with the bat, he showcased his ball-striking ability by scoring his 115 runs at an excellent strike rate of 151.31. Overall he has played 13 matches taking 11 wickets at a decent average of 27.18 and also scored 135 runs averaging 15 as he bats lower down the order.
- Moises Henriques – This all-rounder Australian player played 42 games for SRH, and scored 755 runs at an average just a shade under 28 and a decent strike rate of 128.84. He also picked up 28 wickets at an economy rate of 8.26. He was often tasked with finishing the innings with a flourish and proved himself up to the task more often than not. He played all 17 games in SRH’s title-winning IPL season in 2016 and won the Man of the Match award in the Eliminator against the Kolkata Knight Riders for his all-round performance. The Australian also took 11 catches throughout the IPL, the most for an outfield player in the team that season. The big names often overshadowed Henriques’ contributions with both bat and ball, but it came as a surprise when SRH chose to not retain him in 2018.
- Karn Sharma – This Leg-spinner player played 46 games for SRH, and picked up 36 wickets at an impressive economy rate of 7.83. He became the most expensive uncapped player in 2014 IPL. During his time with SRH, the leggie also made his Test debut against Australia Down Under but picked up only 4 wickets on what was a featherbed. This remains Sharma’s only Test to date, and he has also featured in 2 ODIs and 1 T20I. Although his form dropped off in the title-winning 2016 IPL season (he played only 5 matches and picked up zero wickets), he had established himself as a useful T20 player.
- Siddhartha Kaul – He was part of the Indian side that won the 2008 U-19 World Cup under the leadership of Virat Kohli, but his career didn’t take off the way the current Indian captains did. In the 2017 IPL, he picked up 16 wickets in 10 games, the third-highest in the team after Rashid and Kumar. the 2018 IPL season, Kaul played a vital role in SRH’s finish as the runners-up, although he was slaughtered in the final by CSK opener Shane Watson. In 34 games for SRH, Kaul has picked up 42 wickets at an economy rate of 8.54. The fast bowler has shown a willingness to step up and take on responsibility, as is evidenced by the number of overs he has bowled at the death alongside Kumar.
