New-look Hyderabad eye top four Indian T20 League finish despite parting ways with former stars

Team Hyderabad will begin their Indian T20 League 2022 campaign from March 29 without former match-winners David Warner and Rashid Khan.

Warner’s relationship with Hyderabad effectively broke down in the last campaign as his faltering performances cost him not just the captaincy but also his place in the team.

Kane Williamson took over as skipper after the initial six matches, but Hyderabad could only finish rock-bottom in the Indian T20 League 2021 standings.

Besides Warner, Hyderabad also let go of Afghanistan’s Rashid as well as Mohammad Nabi and opted to retain the uncapped pair of Abdul Samad (INR 4 crore) and speedster Umran Malik (INR 4 core). The franchise spent INR 22 crore in retaining three players and thus entered the Indian T20 League mega auction with a purse of INR 68 crore from a total cap of INR 90 crore.

Based on the current team roster, we analyze what they have in the offering ahead of the 2022 season.

Team Hyderabad squad

At the Indian T20 League 2022 mega auction held in Bengaluru last month, Hyderabad spent the most money on recruiting Nicholas Pooran (INR 10.75 crore) as a like-for-like replacement for Jonny Bairstow.

Additionally, the team fought off competition to re-sign pace pair Bhuvneshwar Kumar (INR 4.2 crore) and T Natarajan (INR 4 crore). They also secured the services of uncapped duo Rahul Tripathi (INR 8.5 crore) and Abhishek Sharma (INR 6.5 crore) besides buying Kartik Tyagi (INR 4 crore).

Hyderabad’s foreign buys include Romario Shepherd (INR 7.75 crore), Marco Jansen (INR 4.2 crore), Sean Abbott (INR 2.4 crore) and Aiden Markram (INR 2.6 crore).

Team Hyderabad squad for Indian T20 League 2022: Kane Williamson (captain), Nicholas Pooran (wicket-keeper), Washington Sundar, Rahul Tripathi, Romario Shepherd, Abhishek Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Marco Jansen, T Natarajan, Abdul Samad, Kartik Tyagi, Umran Malik, Aiden Markram, Sean Abbott, Glenn Phillips, Shreyas Gopal, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Priyam Garg, J Suchith, Shashank Singh, R Samarth, Saurabh Dubey and Vishnu Vinod

Team Hyderabad strengths and weaknesses

Strengths

Team Hyderabad have assembled a potent pace bowling department with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and T Natarajan spearheading the attack. The Indian pacers have combined to take 136 wickets for Hyderabad and are likely to cause problems for opposition batters in the upcoming season.

In Sean Abbott and Romario Shepherd, Hyderabad have two frontline pace options while Marco Jansen and Kartik Tyagi are valuable back-ups.

In the batting department, Rahul Tripathi and Nicholas Pooran will have big roles to play besides skipper Kane Williamson.

Weaknesses

Spin was one of Hyderabad’s biggest strengths over the past Indian T20 League seasons but the departure of the Afghanistan duo of Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi leaves a major void in that department.

Washington Sundar and Shreyas Gopal will be the team’s spin options but given their frequency of taking wickets and inconsistent economy, it’s uncertain whether the duo will live up to the standards set by Rashid.

As for batting, the only concern at hand could be the team’s ability to get quick-fire starts. 

Who can be the highest run-scorer for Team Hyderabad?

Following David Warner‘s departure, Kane Williamson will shoulder the responsibility of getting the runs for Hyderabad. The New Zealander has tallied 1,885 runs in the Indian T20 League and will look to lead from the front come the start of the season. 

Who can be the highest wicket-taker for Team Hyderabad?

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is Hyderabad’s front line pacer in Indian T20 League history with 118 wickets in 101 matches. Although the swing bowler took just six wickets in the previous edition, his vast experience in the tournament is likely to see him bounce back strongly in the new season.

Where will Team Hyderabad finish in Indian T20 League 2022?

Considering Hyderabad have let go of some notable players, the new-look team is likely to hit some speed-breakers along the way in Indian T20 League 2022. Should the likes of Pooran, Abhishek Sharma and even skipper Williamson perform at their best, perhaps a top four finish in the league stage could be within their grasp.

Hyderabad Indian T20 League 2022 schedule, fixtures and match times

All times are in India Standard Time (IST)

Author: William Paul

Featured photo: AFP / NOAH SEELAM