We look at three foreign cricketers they will look to retain ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction.
Last year’s finalists, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), were among the most exciting teams in the IPL 2024, reaching the final by playing an aggressive brand of cricket. They were a fearsome side and revolutionised batting in a high-scoring season. As they gear for a mega auction, the owners and team management will have major headaches regarding the retention of players.
Their main strength was big names in the overseas category, including the captain, Pat Cummins. They thrived on the back of foreign players and played aggressive cricket due to the presence of the likes of Travis Head and Heinrich Klaasen. They would find it hard to settle for less in retaining overseas players.
We look at three foreign cricketers they will look to retain ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction.
Heinrich Klaasen is the best T20 batter at the moment and should be SRH’s first retention without any doubt. Klaasen is flexible with his batting positions and equally adept against spin and pace. Further, he is also a wicketkeeper, making him an ideal T20 player in modern-day cricket.
He has been among the most consistent batters in the league in the past couple of years and has been equally good in other leagues, including his national side. There’s no reason to send him in the auction; teams will break the bank for him. Expect SRH to get him back as their first retention ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction.
Also Read: 3 Overseas players Mumbai Indians (MI) should retain before the IPL 2025 mega auction
Pat Cummins was SRH’s captain in the IPL 2024 and changed the team’s fortunes in his maiden season as a leader. He performed well with the ball as well. Overall, Cummins proved his cost worth it and turned SRH into a force to reckon with.
He took 18 wickets at an average of 31.44 and a strike rate of 20.33 in 16 IPL innings, including the best of 3/44, in IPL 2024. Given Cummins’ batting value and captaincy option, SRH can look to retain him and continue with him as skipper. If he goes into the auction, Cummins will go for a hefty price again, like in the previous edition, and SRH might lose out on a quality player with an all-round package.
Travis Head was among the biggest reasons for Sunrisers Hyderabad’s revamped batting approach in IPL 2024, for he provided a rapid start by utilising the field restrictions. Fortunately, SRH didn’t have to invest so heavily in the auction. He was quick and consistent at the same time, forming a lethal partnership with Abhishek Sharma.
Head will fetch more than he did in the auction last year, and SRH can simply retain him. He is a runaway match-winner in this format and showed what he can do throughout the IPL 2024 season. Like Starc and Cummins, Head’s price will surge massively in the auction, and SRH might not be able to regain him; it would be wise to retain him and slot him at the top with the same partner again.
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