IPL 2021: 3 Reasons Why SRH Can Win the Tournament

I.S: BCCI/IPL

The 2016 Champions Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) can be considered as the most settled squads among all the eight franchises as they hardly made any changes to their core team ahead of the highly-anticipated 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Though the team doesn’t look intimidating, the chances of them winning the title are sky high as, over the years, the Orange Army has mastered the art of using its resources well.

The David Warner-led side is known for bouncing back stronger after initial setbacks and they executed something similar in the IPL 2020, played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). SRH didn’t get off to an ideal start in the previous edition but won a series of games towards the end of the league stage to book a playoff berth.

Finishing at the third position in the points table, Hyderabad reached the second qualifier after defeating the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Eliminator but were ruled out after getting outplayed by Delhi Capitals (DC). The side will be hoping to cross the line this time and add another trophy to their cabinet by winning the IPL 2021.

Here are three reasons why SRH can win IPL 2021:

3. Good Bowling Line-Up

One of the main highlights of the Sunrisers Hyderabad squad in the upcoming T20 Extravaganza will be their star-studded bowling line-up. There’s no one as better as Bhuvneshwar Kumar who knows how to swing the ball and at the same time rattle the opposition batsmen with his variations. Just like Bhuvneshwar, Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan has also made a name for himself as one of the most intimidating spinners of recent times.

Over the years, Rashid has played the role of an X-factor for the Orange Army as he doesn’t let the opposition get the better of him. He always contributes to the team by stopping the flow of the runs in the middle-over and returning with crucial wickets. The addition of T Natarajan in the bowling line-up makes it look even more threatening. Natarajan shined bright in IPL 2020 with his toe-crushing yorkers and was soon renowned as the Yorker King.

An impressive performance in IPL saw Natarajan playing for India across all the formats and impressing the who’s who of the cricket fraternity. Within a short period, the 29-year-old has established himself as a death-over specialist and is expected to carry forward his brilliant form in IPL 2021 too.

2. Strengthened Middle-Order

The initial games of IPL 2020 saw Sunrisers Hyderabad struggling in their middle-order as it was laced with young and inexperienced players who were either making their debuts in the Indian Premier League or had just featured in two to three games before. In addition, the experienced all-rounder Mitchell Marsh was ruled out of the league in the first game only after sustaining an injury.

With the Australian cricketer ruled out from the tournament, Sunrisers named Caribbean all-rounder Jason Holder as the replacement. The inclusion of Holder proved as a masterstroke for the side as the 29-year-old bowled with the new ball to scalp wickets along with essaying the job of a finisher by applying the finishing touches to the batting innings with his power-hitting.

This time too, Jason Holder will be plying his trade for the 2016 Champions and will act as an anchor for the team in the middle order.

1. Incredible Top Order

Sunrisers Hyderabad boasts of having some of the modern-day greats to their side. The team has a celebrated batting order in the form of skipper David Warner, Jonny Bairstow, Kane Williamson, Wriddhiman Saha, and the team’s new recruit Jason Roy. Warner and Bairstow are the kind of destructive batsmen who can hammer the ball all over the ground from the first over only.

Kane, on the other hand, can play the role of an anchor but also has the ability to smash the ball to give a boost to the run rate. Along with the three batters, the team also has two options in the form of Wriddhiman Saha and Jason Roy. Saha had proved his capabilities as a T20 hitter towards the business end of the IPL 2020.

Roy, who has been included in the team as a replacement for Mitchell Marsh, is in excellent form after delivering stunning performances in the five-match T20I series against India and will not disappoint the team if given a chance in the Playing XI.