IPL 2024 Auction: SRH's possible auction strategy, five players they can target, remaining purse and more

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) endured a forgettable Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 campaign, finishing at the very bottom of the 10-team points table with just eight points from 14 matches. Between 2016 and 2020, SRH were one of the most formidable sides in the IPL, even having won their maiden title in 2016. They managed to make the playoffs in each of the editions during this time period, but have been far from their best in the last three seasons of the IPL.

Ahead of the IPL player auction 2024, SRH have retained as many as 19 players, meaning they still have to fill six slots (three overseas) with a remaining purse of Rs 34 crore.

While they have retained a large part of their core group including Aiden Markram, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Heinrich Klaasen, Mayank Agarwal, T Natarajan and Washington Sundar, SRH still have their task cut out, having let go of the likes of Harry Brook, Kartik Tyagi and Adil Rashid.

Let’s now take a look at SRH’s current squad, remaining pursed and available slots:

SRH retained players: Aiden Markram Abdul Samad, Rahul Tripathi, Glenn Phillips, Heinrich Klaasen, Mayank Agarwal, Anmolpreet Singh, Upendra Yadav, Nitish Reddy, Shahbaz Ahmed (Traded from RCB), Abhishek Sharma, Marco Jansen, Washington Sundar, Sanvir Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mayank Markande, Umran Malik, T Natarajan, Fazahaq Farooqi

SRH released players: Harry Brook, Samarth Vyas, Kartik Tyagi, Vivrant Sharma, Akeal Hosein, Adil Rashid

Purse left: Rs 34 crore

Slots left: 6 (3 overseas players)

SRH Auction Strategy

A wrist spinner would be on top of SRH’s priority list at the IPL 2024 auction in Dubai. They let go of Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan ahead of the IPL 2022 player auction, and things haven’t been the same for SRH ever since. Ahead of the upcoming auction, SRH have released England’s Adil Rashid and West Indian Akeal Hosein after both got limited opportunities. This would mean that SRH have a void to fill as far as their search for a frontline wrist spinner is concerned.

SRH will also have to boost their batting lineup. Releasing England’s Harry Brook, who was worth Rs 13.25 crore may not have been an easy call for the Orange Army. Having said that, the former champions are in fact lacking batting firepower ever since the release of fan favourite David Warner.

Players SRH can target

Wanindu Hasaranga

Having been released by RCB ahead of the auction, Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga could be in huge demand in Dubai.

A bidding ware between franchises could be expected for the wrist spinner, and having said that, Hasaranga could be the perfect answer as far as finding a replacement for Rashid Khan is concerned. His presence would also balance out SRH’s bowling attack altogether.

Rachin Ravindra

Rachin Ravindra could be another player in huge demand but given his stocks have risen following a stupendous ODI World Cup with New Zealand, where he scored 578 runs, it will be hard for SRH to look past Rachin at the auction. Especially since they are looking for an explosive batter following the release of Harry Brook.

Travis Head

Should they not manage to get hold of Rachin Ravindra, Australia’s World Cup winner Travis Head will be another equally good option.

He doesn’t need any introduction, especially after his heroics in the World Cup final against India. Head is a proven match-winner and honestly, SRH have lacked that kind of a cricketer in the past few seasons.

Gerald Coetzee

While SRH do have a formidable-looking pace trio of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan and Umran Malik, they could still go for a quality overseas pacer at the auction. Both Bhuvneshwar and Natarajan have been prone to injuries in the recent few seasons, whereas with just five wickets from eight games, Umran Malik had a rather below-par IPL 2023 season. With SRH having enough in their purse, it should not be surprising if they go for a talented pacer like South Africa’s Gerald Coetzee, who picked 20 wickets at the ODI World Cup.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman

Mujeeb Ur Rahman could be another worthy investment for SRH in their search for a spinner. A seasoned spinner known for his variations, Mujeeb can deceive the opposition batters at will and change the complexion of the game into his team’s favour. It won’t be easy for SRH to get Mujeeb and having said that, a bidding war could be very well expected for the 22-year-old.