How Can Sunrisers Hyderabad Win IPL 2024?

Aiden Markram won't be work as SRH captain (X.com)Aiden Markram won't be work as SRH captain (X.com)

One of the only six franchises out of the 10 playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) won the coveted title in 2016, and once back in 2009 under the now defunct Deccan Chargers (DC) name.

As a franchise, Sunrisers have a massive fan base, and are regarded as one of the most popular, however over the last few years, the Hyderabad-based club has lost its sheen, given their lacklustre performances in IPL between 2021 and 2023, where the club finished twice in the bottom.

However, with the franchise making wholesome changes in the management, including a new captain, the 2024 edition looks more promising than before. 

The Cummins FactorPat Cummins will take over from Aiden Markam [X.com]

Pat Cummins will take over from Aiden Markam [X.com]

Brought in for INR 20.50 crore, Australia's World Cup and World Test Championship (WTC)-winning Pat Cummins will look to keep his winning ways going. Cummins as a captain has displayed shrewdness and technical prowess in the field, which has been lacking for SRH in the past season. 

Cummins, who has been rather mediocre in IPL with the ball, will look to regain his pride as a pacer and work in tandem with a promising attack consisting of Umran Malik, Jaydev Unadkat, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, and Fazalhaq Farooqi. 

The 30-year-old's guidance on the field, will only make a sometimes erratic Malik focus on the job-in-hand, and not focus on other things. 

The minor adjustments that Cummins the tactician brings to the table, will go hand-in-hand with new coach Daniel Vettori, who has been working with the Australian setup for the past year or so.

Explosive Batting-Order Ft Travis Head

Travis Head along with Aiden Markram [X.com]Travis Head along with Aiden Markram [X.com]

Of late, SRH lacked substance in the middle, with an inexperienced top and late-order. With the roping in of Australia's maverick Travis Head, SRH might have provided their explosive-middle order with the perfect glue.

Head can play both roles of aggression and an accumulator, given the team's situation, which will give the likes of Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, and Abdul Samad a free hand down the order. Head's utilisation as a part-time bowler could always give the playing XI extra depth, and see SRH bat either an extra batter or a bowler.

All-Rounder's Galore

Adding on their all-round expertise, SRH inducted Sri Lanka's Wanindu Hasaranga into their squad, who provides more options to an already star-studded unit including Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Marco Jansen, and Abhishek Sharma.

While Sundar and Ahmed are more stock spinners, Hasaranga is a wicket-taking option that can go both ways—pick wickets in a heap or go for plenty of runs. As batters, Sharma, Sundar, Jansen, and Hasaranga add flourish to their lower-middler order, which has a habit of collapsing under pressure.