IPL 2023 auction review: Sunrisers Hyderabad

The IPL mini-auction was held on December 23 [Source: Twitter]

The much-anticipated IPL mini-auction witnessed multiple bidding wars between ten concerned franchises. While some franchises spent millions to fill all their remaining slots, some returned disappointed with some decent amount left in their purse. 

Sunrisers Hyderabad entered the auction with a whopping INR 42.25 Crores in their purse. They had four overseas slots to fill and bought some big names to complete their squad. 

So, let's analyse and assign SRH a score out of 10 for their performance in the mini-auction. 

What were SRH's primary needs?

After releasing Kane Williamson, SRH needed a top-order batter, preferably an Indian, to open alongside Abhishek Sharma. 

They had a solitary spinner in Washington Sundar (and, of course, a part-timer in Abhishek Sharma) and, therefore, needed some quality tweakers to strengthen their spin unit. 

Their secondary priority was buying middle-order batters to ensure stability in their batting lineup. As they already had a formidable pace battery, they didn't need to spend much on pacers in the mini-auction. 

Positives: Mayank, Spinners and Domestic buys

Mayank Agarwal was the perfect candidate for the Indian opener's role, and SRH secured his services for INR 8.25 Crores. It was a brilliant buy, as Agarwal perfectly complements Sharma and gives them a leadership option. 

Their most impressive buys were Akeal Hosein and Adil Rashid, as both cumulatively cost them only INR 3 Crores, making their spin unit a solid one. 

As a backup for Glenn Phillips, SRH bagged Heinrich Klaasen for INR 5.25 Crores, which was impressive. Mayank Dagar and Mayank Markende were also decent picks as backup spinners. 

They also bought emerging domestic batters Vivrant Sharma, Sanvir Singh, Samarth Vyas, Anmolpreet Singh, Upendra Yadav and all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy. These buys not only reflected the quality of their scouting but also provided them with an outstanding Indian core.  

Negatives: Overspent on Harry Brook, didn't bid for Sam Curran

SRH bought English batting sensation Harry Brook for a whopping INR 13.25 Crores, but did they really need him? The answer is no, as they already had Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram and Glenn Phillips to bat at number three, four and five, respectively. 

So, I fear they might either not fully utilise Brook or end up underusing Phillips properly. If they field them both, they will end up having only five genuine bowling options in the game. Additionally, Brook is yet to play a match in India, so investing such a significant amount in him was undoubtedly risky. 

Besides this, SRH didn't even bid for Sam Curran, who could've made their squad complete. Curran's addition could've solved their death bowling woes, which might affect their IPL 2023 campaign, considering Bhuvneshwar Kumar's current form and T Natarajan's tendency to miss a few games due to injury. 

What made us wonder was they returned with INR 6.55 Crores in their purse, and if we add Brook's price to it, they could've got Curran easily in that amount. 

Final Rating: 7/10

Thus, SRH overspent on someone they didn't really need and didn't bid for someone they actually needed to balance their team. Therefore, they are assigned 7 out of 10 for their auction performance. 

Probable XI

Mayank Agarwal
Abhishek Sharma 
Rahul Tripathi
Aiden Markram✈️
Harry Brook✈️
Glenn Phillips (WK)✈️
Washington Sundar
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Adil Rashid✈️ (Replace with Marco Jansen on seam-friendly tracks)
Umran Malik
T Natarajan 

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