Last Updated on 3 years ago by Charbel Coorey

Cricket News: Sunrisers Hyderabad IPL 2023 Preview: Will SRH win their 2nd title? | Sunrisers Hyderabad SRH IPL 2023 SWOT Analysis

After two consecutive eighth-placed finishes, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are ready to go for IPL 2023. The franchise has made a number of key changes to their squad, with Aiden Markram to lead and Harry Brook a potentially huge addition for SRH. And, of course, they have a solid domestic core when it comes to their bowling attack, with solid overseas options as well.

In this article, we will look at SRH’s possible XI, key strengths and weaknesses and our verdict for the Orange Army in IPL 2023.

You can also watch CricBlog’s Sunrisers Hyderabad preview on YouTube here or below.

SRH IPL 2023 squad

SRH Predicted Playing XI

The South African players will miss the first match due to national commitments against the Netherlands.

Possible XI without South Africa players: 1. Abhishek Sharma, 2. Mayank Agarwal, 3. Rahul Tripathi, 4. Harry Brook, 5. Glenn Phillips (wk), 6. Abdul Samad, 7. Washington Sundar, 8. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9. Adil Rashid, 10. T Natarajan, 11. Umran Malik

Possible XI with South Africa players: 1. Abhishek Sharma, 2. Mayank Agarwal, 3. Rahul Tripathi, 4. Aiden Markram (c), 5. Harry Brook, 6. Henrich Klaasen (wk), 7. Washington Sundar, 8. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9. Adil Rashid/Marco Jansen, 10. T Natarajan, 11. Umran Malik

SRH IPL 2023 Preview: Strengths & Weaknesses

Here is CricBlog’s snapshot of SRH’s key strengths and weaknesses, also touching on their opportunities and threats.

Strengths:

Superb top six

SRH’s top six has a great mix of domestic and overseas talent. Abhishek Sharma, who had an excellent 2022, is one to watch in 2023. Rahul Tripathi is one of India’s most underrated players, while Mayank Agarwal has a point to prove. It is a top three that can often set a platform for a dynamic middle order of Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen and Harry Brook, who is one of world cricket’s most talked about players.

Also, scarily, there is Glenn Phillips who SRH can also turn to throughout the campaign.

Excellent domestic core in the bowling attack

Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Washington Sundar are powerplay specialists. Either Marco Jansen and Adil Rashid can deliver important overs in the first 16. The fast Umran Malik also can, with T Natarajan to be counted on at the death with his yorkers.

SRH have an attack that can deliver in all three stages of the innings. Importantly, they can fit their overseas talent in the middle order because of the domestic core in their lineup. Also, Aiden Markram and Abhishek Sharma can fill in with overs at different stages.

Leadership

Aiden Markram is a winner. He led Sunrisers Eastern Cape to the inaugural SA20 title earlier this year, and is admired as a leader by many who are associated with him. Also, he won the U19 World Cup as South Africa captain all those years ago.

We can expect this to show in his batting, where he is crucial to SRH’s quest for strong totals.

Weaknesses/Threats:

Depth in spinners

Washington Sundar is more of a holding option. Will SRH play Adil Rashid or Mayank Markande, and can they deliver wickets in the middle overs? Other teams like RCB and RR are capable of doing just that, so SRH will need to get this right.

Can they get the most out of their overseas bowling options?

Marco Jansen, Adil Rashid, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Akeal Hosein is an excellent group of overseas options. The key question for SRH will be to select the right option for different conditions. Indeed, this is more a threat than a weakness, as options in an attack can be considered a strength.

Verdict

Winners! I think SRH will go all the way this season as they have the depth and quality to do so.