IPL 6: Sunrisers Hyderabad - New franchise hopes to rise from the ashes

The Hyderabad-based team, owned by the Sun TV Group was founded on October 25, 2012 and replaced the 2009 IPL winners Deccan Chargers, which was terminated by the Governing Council. Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara will lead the side in their maiden edition. The team management includes head coach Tom Moody, former Kings XI Punjab coach and former Chennai Super Kings mentor Kris Srikkanth and newly added bowling consultant in pace expert Waqar Younis.

Barring their triumphant show in the second edition of the tournament in South Africa, the team from Hyderabad have had very little to savour. They spoilt Rajasthan and more importantly Royal Challengers Bangalore's chances to make the play-offs last year.

The core of the side remains the same from the Deccan Chargers outfit. Prolific IPL run-getter and now the fastest debutant to score a Test hundred, Shikhar Dhawan is now the leading Indian player in the team. Dhawan finished No.3 in the batting charts last season after Chris Gayle and Gautam Gambhir, but Sunrisers will miss his services for a few games owing to an injury he suffered in the Test series against Australia. Ishant Sharma, wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel and leg-spinner Amit Mishra are the Indian internationals in the side.

What gives Sunrisers a big boost is the plethora of overseas players they have in T20 veteran Cameron White and emerging big-hitter Chris Lynn, South African pace spearhead Dale Steyn and all-rounder Rusty Theron.

The 2013 signings from the auction include big-hitting Sri Lankan all-rounder Thisara Perera, Australian pacer Clint McKay, West Indian captain Darren Sammy, New Zealand off-spinning all-rounder Nathan McCullum and young South African wicketkeeper batsman Quinton de Kock.

The old franchise finished eighth in the nine-team league last season, but that had a lot to do with the team not clicking as a unit. That is an area of concern that coach Tom Moody will have to address. The 6-foot 7-inch tall Moody would hope his band of match-winners do not carry a defeatist attitude into the new season.

The presence of Parthiv, Akshath Reddy and DB Ravi Teja in their ranks means there is no dearth of openers. Sangakkara and GH Vihari, an India U-19 World Cup-winning team member, are also not averse to open.

The spin bowling department will be marshalled by leg-spinner Amit Mishra. Ashish Reddy can provide the option as an exciting all-rounder.
With Sangakkara and Steyn as almost certainties, the other two slots for overseas players will have a few contenders, but could be a toss-up between White, Perera and Sammy - depending on conditions. Lynn and McKay are exciting options too on the bowling front. Duminy, when fit from his achilles injury, will provide more variety.

Strengths: Big hitters in the side like Dhawan and White give them an edge. Dale Steyn and Ishant Sharma make a formidable fast bowling line up,  backed up by an attacking spinner in Amit Mishra.

Weaknesses: Finishing in the bottom half of the table in the last three editions may dent their confidence as a team. Lack of depth in local bowlers after Steyn, Mishra.

The Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium-based team would hope to at least make the playoffs this season and not just play party spoilers for other franchisees this time around.

Hot Players:

Shikhar Dhawan: It's not just his maverick century on Test debut that makes him a hot property this IPL. Dhawan has been IPL's one of the most consistent run getters in this format of the game. Joining the Hyderabad outfit two years ago seems to have done wonders to his IPL career while scoring 969 runs in the last two editions at an average of almost 37 runs and a healthy strike rate of over 120. That is what you want from an opening batsman, to bat for around 10-15 overs, so as to make sure the middle order cashes in the death overs. Once fully fit, bowlers will not be queuing in to bowl to the 27-year old Delhi dasher.

Ishant Sharma: Like in international cricket, Ishant has been unable to tap his full potential in the shortest format too. Still behind other Indian fast bowlers like Munaf Patel, RP Singh, Zaheer Khan and Irfan Pathan in terms of wickets, Ishant will look to provide a dependable fast bowling option to his skipper, more as a strike bowler rather than a support bowler. He has 36 wickets in 43 IPL games at an economy rate of 7.62, something he would like to improve on desperately.

Amit Mishra: The Haryana skipper is the most successful bowler in IPL history behind only to Mumbai Indians' Lasith Malinga, who has 83 wickets. Mishra's 74 scalps have come at a bowling average of 20, which is best amongst bowlers who have played all five editions of the tournament. His economy rate of 7.1 is not the worst either. The leggie will again have to do for the Sunrisers what R Ashwin does for Chennai Super Kings and Sunil Narine for Kolkata Knight Riders - keep the runs down his end and keep picking crucial wickets in the middle overs.

Kumar Sangakkara: Will have to lead by example yet again. His challenges in the tournament will be most captaincy based - man management, bowling changes, fielding positions, team compositions etc. He will be searching for an extended good run with the bat, so that it has a positive impact on his captaincy. The former Sri Lankan skipper has never had extremely successful runs as skipper while with Kings XI Punjab earlier or with the Deccan Chargers. He would be hoping that the new franchise can bring about a change in the players' mindset. He will have to fight his own fitness issues too.

Dale Steyn: Undoubtedly Sunrisers' best bowler, albeit the speedster may not have the international T20 rankings in his favour. But it's unlikely to affect his intent and he can generate searing pace on Indian pitches too. Not many opening batsmen in the IPL will be very keen to face the speed and swing of the world's best fast bowler in a long time. His presence in the side as a senior bowler will help the youngsters in the Hyderabad side. He may need to work on his death bowling, which has been found wanting at crucial junctures.

Cameron White: Talk of T20 veterans and here is one. White, with 141 T20s under his belt, had his best performances in the IPL in the last edition when he conjured up 479 runs, including five fifties at an average of 43.54 and a strike rate of almost 150. He along with Dhawan were the few bright spots for the Hyderabad side last season. White has a penchant to hit the ball in the air, and he succeeded at it last year, hitting 20 sixes, joint second highest with Dwayne Bravo and Kevin Pietersen after Chris Gayle, who hit whopping 59 sixes. White will have to take more responsibility in the batting line up as JP Duminy still recovers from his injury.

Full Squad: Kumar Sangakkara (captain), Anand Rajan, Ankit Sharma, Ashish Reddy, Quinton de Kock, Shikhar Dhawan, Jean-Paul Duminy, Chris Lynn, Nathan McCullum, Clint McKay, Amit Mishra, Parthiv Patel, Thisara Perera, Veer Pratap Singh, Sachin Rana, Dwaraka Ravi Teja, Akshath Reddy, Biplab Samantray, Darren Sammy, Ishant Sharma, Karan Sharma, Dale Steyn, Thalaivan Sargunam, Sudeep Tyagi, Hanuma Vihari, Cameron White.