David Warner-led Team Hyderabad have been one of the most consistent sides in the Indian T20 League. The Orange Army had won the title in 2016 by defeating Virat Kohli’s Bangalore in the final and qualified for the playoffs every season since then.
With you and us together,
— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) March 27, 2021
It's #𝙊𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙊𝙧𝙉𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 🧡#OrangeArmy, we are ready for #IPL2021! Are you? pic.twitter.com/SOoU21yykp
In the last edition of the Indian T20 League held in UAE, Hyderabad were knocked out by Team Delhi in the second qualifier, thus ending their dream of lifting their second title.
Ahead of the new season, Hyderabad made a big announcement as they appointed their former head coach Tom Moody as the director of cricket for the franchise.
The 55-year-old Australian had coached the Hyderabad franchise until 2019, after which he was replaced by compatriot and 2019 World Cup-winning coach Trevor Bayliss.
Team Hyderabad squad
Hyderabad had a more or less settled core as they released only five players in the lead up to the mini-auction in February. Under coach Trevor Bayliss, Hyderabad went into the player auction with a purse of 10.75 crore and picked just three players. Karnataka all-rounder Jagadeesha Suchith joined them for Rs 30 lakh while the franchise also added India batsman Kedar Jadhav (for Rs 2 crore) and Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb ur Rahman (for 1.5 crore) to add more depth to their settled squad.
#WelcomeToSRH Jagadeesha Suchith, @JadhavKedar and @Mujeeb_R88! 🧡#IPLAuction #OrangeArmy #IPL2021 #SRH pic.twitter.com/jqE8evn072
— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) February 18, 2021
Team Hyderabad squad for Indian T20 League 2021: David Warner (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Basil Thampi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jonny Bairstow, Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Shahbaz Nadeem, Shreevats Goswami, Siddharth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed, T Natarajan, Vijay Shankar, Wriddhiman Saha, Abdul Samad, Jason Roy, Jason Holder, Priyam Garg, Virat Singh, Kedar Jadhav, Mujeeb ur Rehman, J Suchith
Team Hyderabad strength and weakness
Strength
Hyderabad have one of the most balanced squads in the Indian T20 league this year. They have several match-winners in the team including captain David Warner, Jonny Bairstow, Kane Williamson, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and T Natarajan.
Led by David Warner, the team has a power-packed batting line-up in the league. Along with Warner, they have Jonny Bairstow, Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey and Jason Roy, whom they have roped in this year in place of Mitchell Marsh - who pulled out of the Indian T20 League last week.
Hyderabad also have a strong bowling department as they have T20 specialists like Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and T Natarajan in their arsenal.
The franchise also bought another Afghan spinner Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, who is expected to add more variety to their bowling attack.
Weakness
Team Hyderabad lack a swashbuckling finisher like Andre Russell or Kieron Pollard in their squad. They have brought in Maharashtra batsman Kedar Jadhav for this season and would hope he performs that role but he certainly hasn't had much practice.
David Warner and Co. will also be a little bit worried about their middle-order as they failed to perform in the last edition of the league.
Who can be the highest run-scorer for Team Hyderabad?
Hyderabad captain David Warner is the leading run-scorer among overseas players in Indian T20 League history. The 34-year has amassed 5254 runs in 142 matches at an average of 42.71. He has smashed 4 tons and 38 half-centuries in the league. Warner is only behind Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina in the all-time highest run-getter list in the Indian T20 League history. The southpaw is tipped to be the highest run-scorer for Hyderabad in the upcoming edition of the league.
Who can be the highest wicket-taker for Team Hyderabad?
Ever since his debut Indian T20 League season in 2017, Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan has been a match-winner for Hyderabad in the cash-rich league. In 62 Indian T20 League matches, Rashid has claimed 75 wickets at an average of 20.49. The 22-year-old will once again play an important role for David Warner’s team and he is expected to be Hyderabad’s top wicket-taker this year.
Where will Team Hyderabad finish in Indian T20 League 2021?
Team Hyderabad have one of the most balanced squads in the upcoming edition of the T20 league. The Orange Army is once again tipped to finish in the top four this year. If the local Indian players have a decent season, Hyderabad will be a tough team to beat for any side.
Feature image courtesy: IPL, BCCI 2021
