IPL 2015: Sunrisers Hyderabad Excel at Auctions, Questions Arise on Team Composition
Kevin Pietersen, Eoin Morgan, Kane Williamson and Trent Boult were among Sunrisers Hyderabad's latest acquisitions in the IPL 2015 player auction on Monday.
- Prakash Govindasreenivasan
- Updated: February 18, 2015 09:20 PM IST
Sunrisers Hyderabad's think-tank of Tom Moody (head coach), VVS Laxman (mentor) and Muttiah Muralitharan (bowling coach) came together to carry out tidy work at the IPL 2015 player auction on Monday.
With the Delhi Daredevils and the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sunrisers Hyderabad were one of the teams that had let go of a long list of players that included the likes of Aaron Finch, Darren Sammy, Amit Mishra who have been vital in several victories in past seasons. On Monday, the onus was on them to strengthen all areas while also making big-name acquisitions to fill the gap left by the trio.
Kevin Pietersen Base Price Deal a Clincher
Brand value aside, England star Kevin Pietersen and Yuvraj Singh find themselves at similar crossroads. Curtains are more than half-way down on their international careers but that urge to perform and compete remains strong for for both. Yuvraj Singh went to Delhi Daredevils for a whopping Rs 16 crore - the costliest bid in IPL history - while Pietersen deal was an absolute clincher at his base price of Rs 2 crore.
Pietersen's relation with England & Wales Cricket Board's heirarchy may have soured but the swashbuckling cricketer continues to be regarded as a prized T20 asset. Pietersen, by his own admission, adores the format. England's doors may well be shut forever for the South African-born attacking batsman, but he has swiftly earned the reputation of a globe-trotting T20 cricketer with contracts in Caribbean Premier League (with St. Lucia Zouks) and the Big Bash (Melbourne Stars).
Pietersen last played limited-overs cricket for England way back in September 2013 but T20 action all over the world has kept him match-fit.
Pietersen's poor performance in IPL 2014 may have prompted Delhi Daredevils to let him go after spending Rs 9 crore on him in previous year's auction. However, his performances with the bat in the Big Bash League 2014/15 proved he was far from finished.
Sunrisers' think-tank decided to take the punt and much to their delight, snapped him up for the base price of Rs 2 crore.
Kane Williamson at a bargain
Widely-regarded as the next batting superstar from New Zealand, the slight-framed 24-year-old Kane Williamson was another excellent bargain buy for the Sunrisers. Williamson's recent performances with the Kiwi franchise Northern Districts in the Champions League grabbed a lot of eyeballs but surprisingly, not many teams were keen on his signature. It took just one bid over his base price to secure his services for Rs 60 lakh.
Eoin Morgan: IPL regular, reliable finisher
England skipper at the World Cup, Eoin Morgan was another smart acquisition for the Sunrisers. The team had relied on West Indian power hitter Darren Sammy in the previous two seasons but he was released ahead of Monday's auctions. In that sense, Morgan, who plied his trade for Kolkata Knight Riders in previous IPL editions, comes as a like-for-like replacement.
Trent Boult
After two economical buys (Pietersen and Williamson), the Sunrisers had the bandwidth to splash the cash while bidding for another target. New Zealand's young and exciting pacer Trent Boult sparked a bidding tussle between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians. Sunrisers made a late entry and sealed the deal at Rs 3.80 crore, the fifth costliest buy of the auction. Boult's inclusion to the squad could ease the pressure on their bowling spearhead Dale Steyn.
The Sunrisers have done some smart business as far as overseas players are concerned. However, the headache of finding the right team combination will keep them busy between now and the start of the tournament.
Top-heavy side or a middle-order finisher?
Australia's explosive opener David Warner and South African pace spearhead Dale Steyn are perhaps two of the first foreign names on the team sheet. But, who takes the remaining two spots? Pietersen's abundant ability in this format of the game makes him an important pick. The Sunrisers could open the batting with Warner and Shikhar Dhawan and bring in Pietersen at No. 3.
Alternatively, Sunrisers could also be tempted to open with Warner and Pietersen and put Dhawan in at no.3.
The problem arises with respect to the fourth overseas candidate in the line-up. Should they go with an in-form Kane Williamson at no.4 and beef up the top-order or include Eoin Morgan in a finishing role at no.5 or 6?
The fact that Williamson and Boult will not be available towards the end of the tournament as New Zealand's tour of England (two Tests, five ODIs and one-off T20I), starts on May 21, will also have an impact on this decision.
In the bowling department, Sunrisers are a bit more settled with Dale Steyn leading the attack and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma and Karn Sharma filling up the contingent.
The tournament is long and Sunrisers now have the luxury of letting Steyn cool his heels in a couple of games with Kiwi pacer Boult among their ranks as an able replacement. Even Praveen Kumar can be relied upon if Ishant or Bhuvneshwar endure a lean patch. With Amit Mishra released, the Sunrisers could also turn to their spinning all-rounder Parvez Rasool to accompany Karn.
Sunrisers have played good cricket over the last two seasons but have lacked the fire-power to go all the way. Could this new-look squad add a spring to their steps? Only time will tell.