Cut or keep? Who should Sunrisers retain and who should they release after a poor IPL 2023?

Coming to Ahmedabad with just four wins from 11 games, the Sunrisers were in must-win territory. Three victories in their last three league games would have taken them to 14 points and kept their hopes alive, albeit remotely so.

That did not happen. Shubman Gill got a hundred for Gujarat while batting first, and Mohammed Shami broke the back of the Hyderabad batting inside the powerplay. Heinrich Klaasen played a lone hand of 64, but could not stop his team from succumbing to a 34-run defeat. SRH can reach a maximum of 12 points, which will not be enough for qualification.

To say that Hyderabad have had a disappointing season would be an understatement. They had looked like one of the strongest units on paper, but poor management – a factor synonymous to SRH in the last couple of years – and constant chopping and changing with little clarity on the best XI has meant that they have been eliminated with two matches to go.

They now have an opportunity to build themselves up for the next season. Who should they look to stick with and who should they let go?

Keep

Heinrich Klaasen has been their best player this season by a fair distance. This is the first time he has got consistent opportunities in an IPL season, and he has made the most of them. He should be the first overseas player in the team sheet for Hyderabad come next season.

Abdul Samad has impressed with his finishing abilities. At 21, he is a long-term investment that SRH should hold on to for as long as possible.

Abhishek Sharma had a breakthrough season last year as an opener, but regular changes to his batting position this year have prevented him from replicating that impact. Hyderabad may consider giving him a run as an opener throughout the next season.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, an IPL legend, particularly in the powerplay, has been quietly doing his job as the leader of the Hyderabad bowling attack.

Mayank Markande was a revelation this season. With Washington Sundar not picking wickets, he stepped up as Hyderabad’s lead spinner. He should most continue in his role next season as well.

Aiden Markram has had an extremely disappointing season, both as leader and as batter. While his role as captain can be discussed, he remains a high-quality batter, and Hyderabad should not part ways with him after one bad season.

Sanvir Singh got to bat in the IPL for the first time against Gujarat. He made just seven, but the six he hit off Shami was a clear indication of his abilities. Hyderabad should definitely stick to the man with a Twenty20 strike rate upwards of 180.

Rahul Tripathi has had an unusually sedate season this year. However, like Markram, he is a high-quality batter and should be backed.

Anmolpreet Singh has done well in whatever opportunities he has had this season. He should be in SRH’s plans for next season as a first-choice or backup opener as well as emergency wicketkeeper.

Fazalhaq Farooqi has been decent with the ball when he was picked ahead of Marco Jansen.

Nitish Kumar Reddy is a special domestic talent who is yet to get a game this season. A 19-year-old seam-bowling all-rounder, he can hit big at the end. Definitely an investment for the future.

T Natarajan, like Bhuvneshwar Kumar, has gone about his job quietly. He has not had that one memorable match, but has been consistent enough to retain his space.

Upendra Yadav is there in the squad as a backup Indian wicketkeeper and should continue to hold his position for the next season as well.

Vivrant Sharma is a leg-spinner who can bat in the top order. He can be a backup spinner for Markande as well as a backup Indian batter.

Either way

Umran Malik might be the fastest Indian bowler in the IPL, but has blown more cold than hot this season. There is not much point in having an asset like that and benching him. If SRH do not see him making the first XI, they might as well let him go.

Harry Brook had a lot of hype around his IPL debut. Apart from one hundred, however, he has had a torrid season, a lot of which has been due to a lack of clarity over his role. Unless Hyderabad are able to define a clear batting position, there is little point in keeping him in the reserves.

Glenn Phillips has not got enough game time in the last two seasons despite being one of the most destructive Twenty20 batters going around. For next season, they cannot continue to have all four of Brook, Klaasen, Markram, and Phillips in the squad and having to choose between Brook and Phillips.

Adil Rashid is a rare overseas non-mystery spinner playing in the IPL. Understandably, he has not got a lot of games. Hyderabad can keep him as a backup spinner, or let him go if they want to free up an overseas slot.

Mayank Dagar has done decently in the limited opportunities he has got this season. However, SRH have started using Abhishek’s left-arm spin a lot more, which might make Dagar’s spot redundant.

Release

Mayank Agarwal has been disappointing in the last couple of seasons and has a poor overall IPL record.

Akeal Hosein is a quality left-arm spinner, but Hyderabad have several overseas batters and at least one overseas fast bowler in the XI. Hosein simply does not fit in the setup.

Washington Sundar has not been able to do anything of note for SRH with either bat or ball, and is extremely injury-prone. It makes little sense for Hyderabad to retain him. His services might be better used in some other team.

Marco Jansen has not met expectations with his performance over the last two seasons. He has an economy rate over nine, and has not had an impact with the bat either.

Kartik Tyagi is an exciting fast bowler, but has sat out more than he has played. Even when he has been fit, Hyderabad’s abundance of Indian fast-bowling options has not allowed them to play him regularly.

Samarth Vyas is a destructive top-order Indian batter who is yet to make his IPL debut. Hyderabad already have several Indian as well as overseas top-order batters to choose from, and letting Vyas go would be best for both parties.