IPL 2021 preview: Will Warner-Williamson combination be enough for Sunrisers Hyderabad to lift 2nd IPL title?

Sunrisers Hyderabad is a former champion of the Indian Premier League, having won the title in 2016. It is currently led by David Warner, while the side managed to finish third last season. SRH is the second franchise from Hyderabad after Deccan Chargers, with both having won the title.

Ayush Gupta

Chennai, First Published Apr 7, 2021, 1:10 PM IST

The Indian Premier League is made up of eight top franchise. Although Sunrisers Hyderabad might not be as great as some, it is still a top side, considering it did win the title five years back.

However, five years happen to be a long time in sporting terms, as SRH has struggled to make a dominating impact of late. Although it did manage to finish third last season, it lacks the killer instinct.

With IPL 2021 providing the side with a fresh opportunity, it would be exciting to see how David Warner and co rise to the occasion. In the same light, we present the season preview for the side.

IPL 2021 preview: Will Warner-Williamson combination be enough for Sunrisers Hyderabad to lift 2nd IPL title?-ayh

Squad composition
Its squad is more or less balanced, with mild extra focus on its batting, as the department leads 15-14. It is also probably the second side after Delhi Capitals to have focussed chiefly on capped talents over uncapped, which proves its intentions of not talking the campaign lightly and is determined to lay hands on the coveted trophy for the second time.

Strengths and weaknesses
Judging its strengths, both its batting and bowling look equally competent. While its batting has strength in numbers, its bowling has the force in terms of capped talents. Warner, Jason Roy, Kane Williamson, Mohammad Nabi, and Jonny Bairstow will have a significant role in batting. As for its bowling, Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, along with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan and Sandeep Sharma, are the ones to look out for.

Considering its weaknesses, it barely has any. However, the lack of capped Indian batting talent, barring Manish Pandey, Wriddhiman Saha and Vijay Shankar, could be a matter of concern, as the overseas batsmen will have to be at their prime best and be consistent enough.

IPL 2021 preview: Will Warner-Williamson combination be enough for Sunrisers Hyderabad to lift 2nd IPL title?-ayh

ALSO READ: IPL 2021 preview- Is Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore finally ready to end title drought

Players to watch out
Warner: The skipper was in a shaky form against India during the tour earlier this year, while the groin injury made things worse. Although he is completely recovered now, the side would be relying on his batting prowess to help the side with some explosive starts.
Roy: The English opener was back to its deadly form in the Twenty20 Internationals against India last month. He would be aiming to continue with the same momentum, as he could be one of the batsmen to watch out during the tournament.
Bairstow: The wicketkeeper-batsman is similar to Roy and would once again be looking to prove a point, along with his opening partner Warner, as the duo is known to give the side a fiery start.
Rashid: The world's best spinner at the moment in the shortest format is a no-brainer on the side and would be heavily relied upon to impact the turning Indian tracks, giving breakthrough at regular intervals.
Bhuvneshwar: The Indian seamer made his return after a long time on the international circuit and was impactful. Furthermore, to cement his place in the Indian squad for the ICC World T20 2021, he would give his best here.

IPL 2021 prediction
The side is adequately balanced and has enough firepower in each department to give it stability. While consistency and ability to handle pressure would be the key here, it is undoubtedly one of the dark horse this season. Don't be surprised if it drags itself to the final and takes home the prize.
Newsable prediction: Anywhere between winner to the third spot

IPL 2021 preview: Will Warner-Williamson combination be enough for Sunrisers Hyderabad to lift 2nd IPL title?-ayh

SRH squad for IPL 2021
Batsmen: Kedar Jadhav, David Warner, Manish Pandey, Jason Roy, Kane Williamson, Virat Singh, Priyam Garg and Abdul Samad.
All-rounders: Mohammad Nabi, Vijay Shankar, Jason Holder and Abhishek Sharma.
Wicketkeepers: Wriddhiman Saha, Shreevats Goswami and Jonny Bairstow.
Spinners: Shahbaz Nadeem, Jagadeesha Suchith, Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
Pacers: Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul, T Natarajan, Sandeep Sharma, Basil Thampi and Khaleel Ahmed.