Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have a settled opening combination in Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have an explosive batting lineup, with all capable of playing big shots from the first ball. They also bought a few quality players from the IPL 2025 auction and look like a solid unit leading into the next season.
One of their most notable buys was Ishan Kishan, for whom they spent a whopping INR 11.25 crores after several teams bid for him. They will likely slot him at No.3 since the opening pair is settled with Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma, but Kishan has mostly batted as an opener and utilised the field restrictions early on.
Hence, former India player Aakash Chopra finds a problem in Kishan’s acquisition because he feels his best position is at the top. According to him, SRH already have two openers, and Kishan will have to bat out of position.
“I am seeing a problem at the top. None of us thought they (SRH) would run after Ishan Kishan, but they ran. He has gone to Hyderabad. Hyderabad already had two openers. He will have to bat off-position.”
During the last mega auction, Mumbai Indians spent a massive INR 15.25 crores and went all-out to get Ishan Kishan. He was expected to be one of their top performers and churn out consistent returns.
However, Kishan didn’t perform according to the expectations, barring a few flashes of individual brilliance at times. Between IPL 2022 and 2024, he scored 1192 runs at an average of 28.38 and a strike rate of 135.30 in 43 innings, including seven fifties.
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These numbers are good, but nowhere close to what the team expected after spending such a big amount. He consistently failed to score big runs, prompting MI to release him before the IPL 2025 auction.
With Kishan finding a new franchise, he hopes to bring more consistency into his game on flat decks in Hyderabad. However, it remains to be seen whether he can acclimatise to a new spot at No.3 since SRH are unlikely to tinker with the opening combination.
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