Sunrisers Hyderabad's First-Ever XI & Where are They Now?
Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2023 (Source: Twitter/@ddsportschannel)
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) turned up in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the 2013 edition of the tournament. Boasting of premier names such as Kumar Sangakkara, Daren Sammy, Thisara Perera, Dale Steyn, etc. the Sunrisers finished fourth in their launch season.
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While the franchise won the IPL trophy in 2016, it comes as a thunderstrike that the championship-winning squad did not constitute most of the players, who featured in Hyderabad's debut match versus Pune Warriors India.
On that note, let's look at the first-ever IPL XI of SRH.
First Ever XI of SRH (Source: OneCricket)
Where are these players now?
Akshath Reddy: Hyderabad-born Akshath was contracted by his home side Deccan Chargers in IPL 2012 and then moved to SRH in the following season.
In his first outing for the new team, he did not fare well and scored a 30-ball 27. He played seven games in 2013 and contributed only 101 runs.
While the right-hander was not seen in the IPL thereafter, he still plays domestic cricket for Hyderabad with Ranji Trophy 2022-23 being his latest assignment.
He also joined the expert panel for the IPL 2023 auctions on JioCinema.
Parthiv Patel: Parthiv, a very famous figure in Indian cricket, opened alongside Akshath and also kept wickets in SRH's debut IPL fixture. The southpaw recorded 19 runs off 18 deliveries and became the first batter to be dismissed in the innings.
Parthiv Patel kept wickets for SRH in their first ever IPL match (Source: Twitter)
He announced retirement from all forms of cricket in December 2022 and picked up various commentary gigs as his new profession.
Kumar Sangakkara: Inarguably the most important player of that line-up, Sangakkara was the first-ever SRH skipper. Albeit he captained the team to a 22-run win, it did not go down well for him as a batter as he played a 15-run knock at a strike-rate of around 94.
Kumar Sangakkar was the captain of the first ever SRH XI (Source: Twitter)
The retired Sri Lanka cricketer can now be seen in the role of a commentator. He is also Rajasthan Royals' director of cricket and head coach currently.
Cameron White: Playing at number four for the Orange Army, the Aussie could not provide impetus to the innings as he could gather just 10 runs from 18 balls. Although, he bowled an economical over, conceding just two off it.
Cameron White batted in the middle-order for SRH in their first ever IPL match (Source: Twitter)
When Sangakkara left the SRH captaincy midway, White took over the position.
Landing upon numerous coaching stints, White recently served as the assistant coach for Sydney Sixers during Big Bash League 2022-23. He will also join the New South Wales Blues as an assistant coach in the 2022-23 domestic season.
Thisara Perera: The Sri Lankan emerged as the star-performer for Hyderabad, smashing an 18-ball 30 and also claiming two scalps of Robin Uthappa and Marlon Samuels in the second innings. Due to his efforts, SRH put up a total of 126/6.
Thisara Perera picked up the first ever wicket for SRH (Source: Twitter)
While the all-rounder has retired from international cricket, he is a globetrotter, participating in many franchise-based tournaments like Lanka Premier League, Caribbean Premier League and Bangladesh Premier League.
Hanuma Vihari: Coming in the spot of a finisher, Vihari had a bad day at the office, amassing a mere 11 runs in what was his debut IPL game.
Hanuma Vihari was a part of the first ever XI for SRH (Source: Twitter)
The Sydney hero is an active cricketer with Andhra Pradesh, his domestic team, creating a bridge for his India comeback. He recently appeared in Ranji Trophy 2022-23.
Ashish Reddy: In a low-scoring affair, Ashish came out handy with the bat as he hit a boundary in his unbeaten seven-run knock. The medium-pacer also sent the dangerous-looking Ross Taylor back to the pavilion.
He is now a part of Star Sports' commentary panel for the Telugu language.
Dwaraka Ravi Teja: Joining Ashish at the crease in the penultimate over of the innings, Teja faced only four deliveries and accumulated as many runs.
Former Hyderabad skipper bid adieu to first-class cricket at the age of 34 in 2022.
He commentated on JioCinema in the inaugural Women's Premier League (WPL) season.
Amit Mishra: Scripting the maiden win for Hyderabad with his three-for, the leggie turned out be his side's biggest match-winner in 2013, taking 21 wickets in the season.
Mishra's victims in the match included the names of Manish Pandey, Yuvraj Singh and Abhishek Nayar.
Amit Mishra was the match-winner for SRH in their first ever IPL match (Source: Twitter)
He worked as a part-time commentator alongside playing for Haryana. After a three-year hiatus, he will be back in the IPL as a player and could even take the field for Lucknow Super Giants.
Dale Steyn: After Mishra ran riot, Steyn got rid of Pune's tailenders, reducing the opposition to 104/7 to 104/10 in the 19th over of the second innings.
Dale Steyn got rid of the tail ender quickly for SRH in their first ever IPL match (Source: Twitter)
The pacer was the second-highest wicket-taker for SRH in 2013, picking up 19 scalps in 17 matches.
He is the bowling coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad and Sunrisers Eastern Cape.
Ishant Sharma: Playing as the second-main fast-bowler after Steyn, Ishant kept the run-rate in check, maintaining his economy under six as his four overs yielded just 22 runs.
Ishant Sharma was a part of SRH first ever playing XI (Source: Twitter)
The 34-year-old has bagged an IPL deal as Delhi Capitals roped him for the nearing edition of the competition.
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