Travis Heads To Open, Cummins In As Lead Pacer; Here’s SRH’s Best Player For IPL 2024

Pat Cummins sold for 20.25 Cr to SRH (X.com)

The much-anticipated IPL 2024 is just a few months away, and before the big celebration, the same auction was completed yesterday in Dubai.

As for Sunrisers Hyderabad, the franchise earlier set the record for the most expensive players when they bagged Australia’s World Cup-winning captain Pat Cummins in a whopping 20.25 crores deal. However, the record was shattered later by KKR when they got Mitchell Starc for a whopping 24.74 crores.

Besides, SRH also picked up World Cup finalist Travis Head at a steal price. Having said that, apart from a few backups, the group called it a night in Dubai, organizing a group of 25 members.

At this point, I am projecting SRH’s likely playing XI for the first round of the important tournament.

Top Order- Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi

Although Travis Head has been batting in the middle for Australia in longer formats, the batsman prefers to open in T20s.

Hence, he has to partner with India’s Abhishek Sharma. Abhishek was promoted to a higher position by chance but he excelled. In 11 matches, he scored 226 runs at a magnificent strike rate of 143.95 in 2023.

Having said that, experienced batsman Rahul Tripathi will also boost SRH’s innings at number three. He has been solid in the position and is good at settling things down.

Middle Order- Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed

Aiden Markram (X.com)

Experienced South African batsman Aiden Markram can bat at number 4. Sometimes he can also open the innings. But because of his experience, Markram is the perfect fit for the middle class.

Aiden’s South African teammate Heinrich Klaasen will follow. After that, Indian talents Abdul Samad and Shahbaz Ahmed may come in to complete the innings. Samad showed glimpses of his firepower in 2021, and Ahmed, who recently arrived from RCB, is also a good batsman.

Although the bottom order is not as strong as the SRH management would have hoped, the team will be high enough to do a lot of damage.

Bowlers- Pat Cummins, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mayank Markande, T Natarajan

Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Aiden Markram (X.com)

The prized Australian captain will lead SRH’s run in the 2024 IPL. Although his record in IPL is not good, Cummins will bring back his recent form to make SRH.

Besides, veteran Bhuvneshwar Kumar will also play an important role. He took 16 wickets last season with a hidden economy of 8.33. On the other hand, Natarajan will also play the trumpet. Although injuries will persist, Nataranjan’s deceptive skills make him a valuable asset.

Mayank Markande is still SRH’s first choice, Samad and Ahmed are working as short-timers. If Markande stumbles along the way, Washington Sundar is the perfect replacement for SRH.

Sunrisers Hyderabad Best Playing XI for IPL 2024

Travis Head ✈️
Abhishek Sharma
Rahul Tripathi
Aiden Markram ✈️
Heinrich Klaasen (WK) ✈️
Abdul Samad
Shahbaz Ahmed
Pat Cummins ✈️
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Mayank Markende
T Natarajan

Substitutes: Sanvir Singh, Washington Sundar, Anmolpreet Singh, Jaydev Unadkat, Akash Singh