IPL 2025: 3 Areas of concern for SRH ahead of the season

Sunrisers Hyderabad finished as the runner-up during the last season of the Indian Premier League. They failed to lift the coveted IPL trophy after losing the final against Kolkata Knight Riders. 

The team managed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2020. The 2016 champion side decided to retain five players before heading to the IPL 2025 Auction. The team bought a total of 15 players in the auction and shelled out a total of ₹44.8 crore.

Sunrisers Hyderabad played an aggressive brand of cricket last season, and it yielded great results. The team decided to retain the core from last season and made some interesting buys at the auction. However, there are still some issues that the team might face in IPL 2025.

Here are 3 Areas of concern for SRH ahead of the season:

1. Lack of Indian batters in the probable playing 11

Abhishek Sharma was, without a doubt, one of the best Indian batters last season. He finished as the 10th-highest run-scorer and the only among the top 10 with a strike rate of over 200. Their fiery brand of cricket got a boost when they decided to add Ishan Kishan to the squad. The Indian wicketkeeper-batter is known to play attacking cricket. Nitish Reddy is another Indian batter likely to continue to shine this season.

However, the team has no significant name other than these three in the squad. They bought Atharva Taide and Abhinav Manohar during the auction. However, their lack of experience might cost the team if the top-order fails to play their defined role, something that did happen a few times last season.

2. Would Ishan Kishan be able to get his old reputation back?

The selection of Ishan Kishan was one interesting move by the “Orange Army.” The Indian wicketkeeper-batter had a tough 2024 as he was dropped from the Indian side and didn’t get a central contract either. However, four teams tried to sign him during the IPL 2025 Auction, which showed that teams still believed in Ishan’s potential.

Ishan played for Mumbai Indians for seven seasons and crossed the 400-run mark in a season thrice. However, Ishan didn’t have a great last season as he managed 320 runs in 14 games at an average of 22.85. 

On top of that, Ishan will most likely bat in the middle order, which he has not done much in the past. He would have to make a lot of changes to his playing style to fit the new role. Additionally, he would also have the task of finding a position in the Indian team as well through his performance in the upcoming season. It would be interesting to see how Ishan performs in his audition role.

3. Who would play the role of anchor for the team?

The role of an experienced Indian or overseas batter would be that of an anchor for the team. However, SRH lacks an experienced Indian batter in the middle order, apart from Ishan and Nitish. Both of them are likely to fit in the top four alongside Abhishek. This leaves SRH with the availability of a player who can play an actor role. The role of an anchor minimizes if we consider the current scenario in which batters are approaching T20 cricket.

However, there would be days when the bowlers from the opposite side would be able to dominate. In that case, SRH would be looking at their bench for a batter who can help them post a respectable total. Aiden Markram, Abdul Samad, and Rahul Tripathi tried to play that role last season for the franchise. But, this year, the case is very different.

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